Welcome the Not Knowing of a Beginner

I have become these people. Just saying!

January is all about new beginnings.

When I first started birding, I remember the awkwardness of being the outsider in a group of insiders.

I knew enough to show up in birding attire: khakis, a long-sleeve cotton shirt, and a broad-brimmed hat. Around my neck were binoculars that I had scavenged from the bottom of a camping bin underneath first aid supplies, water bottles, and a hot pink fanny pack. The thin strap cut into my neck.

As a newbie, I was welcomed and handed a tri-fold official birding checklist with the names of 102 birds commonly found in the area.

“All the brown birds confuse me,” I admitted to Annie, a talkative regular who birded at least three times a week.

“LBJ's,” she said, “Little Brown Jobs.” Annie sported a harness-type strap for her binoculars, so the weight was removed from her neck. I made a mental note.

New lingo. New equipment. I obviously had more to learn than just bird names.

“Puffin at ten o’clock,” said a man in denim.

A puffin! In Arizona? All eyes swung to the spot in the sky where he pointed.

An untethered, metallic balloon floated among the clouds. Happy Graduation adorned the silver front.

A puffin. Birding humor. It’s a thing.

As a beginner, I wanted to glean as much as possible from the experts. I could have quit before I had barely begun, because I was clueless about how to be a birder. But I persisted and my hobby and love of birds grew.

One of the challenges of being a beginner is when we find ourselves struggling in the NOW but wanting the NOT YET of an unrealized dream or goal. Let’s face it. Most of us want to take the shortcut to becoming an expert.

As you enter into 2025…as you hope and believe in your own places of NOT YET, I pray you hang on. Be patient in the Now as you move forward, maybe with baby steps. 
Don’t give into despair. You are on your way.
Embrace all the not knowing of being a beginner.