I’ve been drawn to birds for a long time. Their variety of appearance, song, and flight (and sometimes lack of) enchants. Even the homely turkey vulture is beautiful to watch soar on high. I once rescued an injured Cooper’s Hawk with a broken tail–what a privilege to be so close, to look it in the eye. During migration season, I’ve witnessed the majesty of the Sandhill Cranes rising en masse from the Platte River at sunrise. And on summer mornings, I try to pick out the different birdsongs over breakfast, using my Merlin app to study. I’m fascinated, yet I’m a mere novice.
Why is flight one of the common superpowers, except that we as humans crave it? So much so that Greek mythology includes the story of Daedalus and Icarus who made wings to fly, with Icarus not heeding his father’s warning and perishing for flying too high. In the eighteenth century, we found flight with the hot air balloon, but we didn’t stop there–we continued to push at flight with theWright Brothers; modern aviation; test pilots and engineers who continually push at new aviation technology and capabilities; and pushing to the stars with aerospace programs. Like birds, we too want to fly.
The Song
Of course, the Blackbird in Blackbird Dating is also a reference to the Blackbird song by the Beatles. Paul McCartney was inspired to write the song both by the call of a blackbird and by the civil rights movement. At the time, “bird” was common British slang for a girl or woman. The blackbird of the song metaphorically stands for the strong black girls and women of the civil rights struggle in the American South.
Personal Connection
We all have songs that we connect with deeply. This is one of mine. Though white and removed from the specific inspiration of the lyrics, I can relate to the general sense of struggle to overcome difficulties. Broken wings and darkness–I’ve been there. I’ve struggled to overcome, to be better, to make things happen in my life, even when it felt like the Universe was pushing me down–to rise and fly, even with broken wings, even in darkness.
My life hasn’t been what I thought it would be. Despite that, I keep pushing at my life, trying to expand it. The idea that what has come before had been to get me to this moment, to make me who I am, that my life can still take off and be more than it is, that there is still potential to be lived and achieved, helps sustain me. The song honors the reality of the darkness, as well as the hope and aspiration for better. As Paul McCartney was inspired by the call of the blackbird and the civil rights movement, the song, in turn, inspires me.
Expanding Out
You’re here. Perhaps, like me, you’re single at a point in your life when you didn’t think you’d be. By mid-life, it’s hard to avoid having some bumps in the road, some difficulties, some struggle. Perhaps you can identify with the blackbird of song as well. Blackbird Dating is for all of us who are seeking and struggling for something more. I welcome you.