Be a Bird Feeder

Inspiration

Inspiration is a bird feeder. Every day we have to fill it up for it to be helpful.

Having cancer is a drag much of the time. We’re tired from the treatments, tired from trying to guess what is going to happen next, and we may not feel great, so we stay home in our sweltering, sweaty pot of woes so that we don’t bother anyone with our troubles.

We can all use a spark of something to liven up our day. It helps to get outside of the house for a time to remind us that the world still exists and to give us something to look forward to, even if we just walk around the block.

Our mood improves if there is something that makes us smile every day and gets our pulse racing. It doesn’t have to be something major. It could be a phone call from a friend that perks us up. A favorite movie on TV. Our baseball team coming back from WAY down to win the game. Little moments of joy add up until we are feeling pretty good.

Having faith in something greater than ourselves is important with cancer. Equally important is love, for ourselves and for others, because out of this comes compassion, caring, and healing.

Sharing with people in a weekly cancer support group can be the glue that holds our resolve together. There we find encouragement and feel empathy from people who understand what we’re going through. We need emotional support from others.

If we don’t have a support group to lean on, there’s also going into nature to remind us of the beauty of the natural world and that we are part of its wonder —work in the garden, take a walk every morning, sit in the woods and listen to the birds. Maybe we’ll see a goldfinch or the shimmering blue iridescence of an indigo bunting.

Maybe finding a new book by one of our favorite authors makes our hearts soar, or watching our favorite sports team.

Exercising makes us physically feel better, which lightens our mood. Aerobic exercises get us breathing, strengthen our body, and help us recover from treatments – swimming laps, jogging, riding a bike, yoga.

Go to the movies. Have a meal out at a favorite restaurant. Listen to a live music performance. Meet a friend for coffee and catch up on the struggles going on in their life. Knowing that others are dealing with trauma puts our own trauma into perspective, and we don’t feel singled out.

Create something – woodworking, pottery, car repairs, play the guitar, write poems or stories.

What we want is to find something that we enjoy doing each day, because when we can celebrate something, we move away from “woe is me” and into gratitude.

Become a bird feeder and share your seeds of inspiration with others to help them get through today.

© 2026 Mark Liebenow