Aug 4, 2023 — I love Psalm 55:6, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” As Cardie Coordinator, I suggested to Jodee that we share it and these beautiful bird magnets with you today as our way of wishing you a peaceful and restorative weekend.
The popularity of all our feathered-friends designs led us to do some looking and learn that more than 45 million Americans say they actively watch and follow birds! Many in our Cardie Community are among them (Americans, not birds ☺️), having discovered Cardthartic in one of the 110 Wild Birds Unlimited stores that we’re proud to have among our Retail Partners.
Then I spotted this very enlightening article about the healing power of birding. In an interview with Hello! magazine, marriage and family therapist Tammah Watts tells how a routine surgery gone-wrong caused her a debilitating neurological injury. The piece reported that the severe depression, chronic pain, and combination of medications left her couchbound and unable to return to the work that she had loved. “I was becoming more disabled and depressed, unable to just do fine motor skills and general moving around,” Tammah recalled. “It was a dark, dark period.”
Her recovery — and life! — began to change after seeing a bright yellow bird at her kitchen window. “That yellow bird shone sunshine all over my soul,” she exclaimed.
“Seeing that yellow bird every day began to create this sense of hope and connection to the outside world,” Tammah said. “It changed my outlook and I became more hopeful.” And when she began to notice all of the other birds in her backyard, Tammah noticed that she began to experience less pain. “Because I was spending my time focusing on the birds, the distraction worked like a kind of mindfulness and I began experiencing a mental shift.”
In fact, as the magazine reported and this sweet pic of my friend’s cat Goose attests, “Watching birds, or even the simple act of listening to them, has been scientifically proven to have lots of mental health benefits. According to one study, spotting or hearing a bird can improve your mental wellbeing for up to eight hours.” 😌
The story goes on to explain that Tammah’s passion for birding and improved sense of wellbeing led her to seek community and companionship around the interest. And that sense of belonging then added to the joy she already was experiencing from the birding, and furthered her healing.
While she may never experience 100% physical or mental healing from her neurological injury, Tammah said she is now light years away from how she was when she was first diagnosed. And she summed it up beautifully by saying, “Birds are awesome beings — they help with our health, mental health, and our joy. Plus they are everywhere, so it’s a pastime we can all have access to.”
Tammah’s story inspires me to use these little works of bird art to lift more spirits around me. I remember when my aunt was battling cancer, and the medication so disrupted her sleep that no one wanted to risk waking her with the phone or a knock on the door. I wrote some encouraging words in a bright cardinal note card, then dropped in the magnet that shows the cute little duckling that says, “One foot in front of the other … that’s all we can do.” That meant I was able to stick the envelope right on her metal front door for her to find there when she was meant to. She later told me that my small act had made her feel so special. She said she appreciated that I’d made the effort to let her know she was being thought of, and of course hearing that made me feel good, too!”
Whether you choose to fly around your own neighborhood spreading joy, or spend the next few days bird-watching out your window like Goose, I hope you’ll have a song in your heart all weekend long.
Lauren Rowell
Cardie Coordinator
Aug 4, 2023 — I love Psalm 55:6, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” As Cardie Coordinator, I suggested to Jodee that we share it and these beautiful bird magnets with you today as our way of wishing you a peaceful and restorative weekend.
The popularity of all our feathered-friends designs led us to do some looking and learn that more than 45 million Americans say they actively watch and follow birds! Many in our Cardie Community are among them (Americans, not birds ☺️), having discovered Cardthartic in one of the 110 Wild Birds Unlimited stores that we’re proud to have among our Retail Partners.
Then I spotted this very enlightening article about the healing power of birding. In an interview with Hello! magazine, marriage and family therapist Tammah Watts tells how a routine surgery gone-wrong caused her a debilitating neurological injury. The piece reported that the severe depression, chronic pain, and combination of medications left her couchbound and unable to return to the work that she had loved. “I was becoming more disabled and depressed, unable to just do fine motor skills and general moving around,” Tammah recalled. “It was a dark, dark period.”
Her recovery — and life! — began to change after seeing a bright yellow bird at her kitchen window. “That yellow bird shone sunshine all over my soul,” she exclaimed.
“Seeing that yellow bird every day began to create this sense of hope and connection to the outside world,” Tammah said. “It changed my outlook and I became more hopeful.” And when she began to notice all of the other birds in her backyard, Tammah noticed that she began to experience less pain. “Because I was spending my time focusing on the birds, the distraction worked like a kind of mindfulness and I began experiencing a mental shift.”
In fact, as the magazine reported and this sweet pic of my friend’s cat Goose attests, “Watching birds, or even the simple act of listening to them, has been scientifically proven to have lots of mental health benefits. According to one study, spotting or hearing a bird can improve your mental wellbeing for up to eight hours.” 😌
The story goes on to explain that Tammah’s passion for birding and improved sense of wellbeing led her to seek community and companionship around the interest. And that sense of belonging then added to the joy she already was experiencing from the birding, and furthered her healing.
While she may never experience 100% physical or mental healing from her neurological injury, Tammah said she is now light years away from how she was when she was first diagnosed. And she summed it up beautifully by saying, “Birds are awesome beings — they help with our health, mental health, and our joy. Plus they are everywhere, so it’s a pastime we can all have access to.”
Tammah’s story inspires me to use these little works of bird art to lift more spirits around me. I remember when my aunt was battling cancer, and the medication so disrupted her sleep that no one wanted to risk waking her with the phone or a knock on the door. I wrote some encouraging words in a bright cardinal note card, then dropped in the magnet that shows the cute little duckling that says, “One foot in front of the other … that’s all we can do.” That meant I was able to stick the envelope right on her metal front door for her to find there when she was meant to. She later told me that my small act had made her feel so special. She said she appreciated that I’d made the effort to let her know she was being thought of, and of course hearing that made me feel good, too!”
Whether you choose to fly around your own neighborhood spreading joy, or spend the next few days bird-watching out your window like Goose, I hope you’ll have a song in your heart all weekend long.
Lauren Rowell
Cardie Coordinator
We are seeing the most beautiful birds in our small side yard! A male Goldfinch was enjoying our patch of purple coneflowers this morning. We rarely see these – perhaps they are migrating. Our local Wild Birds Unlimited store just a few miles from our neighborhood was where I first discovered Cardthartic cards when we moved to Birmingham in 2015. Now I am a Cardie! I will definitely order several of the bird magnets.
I don’t know where I heard this or who it was who told me, but someone recently said, “Every day, step outside, sit, stand, relax and listen to the birds for 3 minutes. Then start your day. It will make a world of difference.”
I love the cardinal story. We have had “Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal” in our yard for years. I notice them more since my mom passed in 2020 and my husband in April, 2023. They fly around just about every day and light somewhere near me just when I need a pick me up.