A Helping Hand

 Every year, some little birds make their nests in an unused air conditioning unit on our sixth-floor balcony, and every year, I end up cleaning up the dead bodies of the little birds that don’t make it. This year was no different except for one little one who got out of the nest and onto the balcony but didn’t have the strength to fly over the wall to the outside. I waited for a couple of days to give it and the bigger ones a chance to figure out something. But I could see that without food and water, the little bird was just getting weaker and weaker.

 The question then arises, do I intervene or interfere and risk accidentally killing the little bird, or do I do nothing at all, just let it die? If I were that little bird, I would appreciate the help.

 At first, I tried to capture the little bird. My plan was to get it into a box, bring it downstairs and put it outside in the garden. But the little bird wasn’t cooperative, and it became clear to me that in trying to capture it, I risked accidentally killing it. So, I watered down the balcony a couple of times for two days to keep it cool and I also put some water out there for the bird to drink or maybe swim in.

 The next day, the little bird was still there, so I put the water out there again and threw some cooked rice on the floor. This morning when I went out there with dragon fruit, the rice was gone and so was the little bird. It had flown away. I’m glad that I intervened just enough to give the bird an opportunity to fly out on its own. From my perspective, anyone of us could be like that little bird. Sometimes all we need is a helping hand.