The little bird that could

This week high winds hit the city I live in.
They dropped temperatures and created fire danger.
Leaves and branches were stripped from trees. So many, in fact, that one of the three huge Moreton Bay Figs near my workplace was stripped of nearly all of its leaves - unusual for a tree that is evergreen. It’s spring here, and these trees usually shed their leaves in winter.
Just the one tree of three is now bare - I’m thinking that it took the brunt of the wind’s direction over a couple of days. I’d like to think it also shielded the other trees.
I went outside at lunchtime on Wednesday, and as I was waiting to cross the road, I heard a bird calling. I looked straight up into the almost-bare tree to see a tiny nest about the size of a coffee mug with a bird sitting in it, its tail poking out from one side. I wondered what that bird must have done to protect its eggs: firstly to build a tiny nest so perfectly engineered that high winds didn’t bring it down, then staying put in those winds so that its young would survive.

I passed the nest again later in the day and there was that tail, a touching sign of protection and persistence.

Each time I pass that tree I look for the nest again. I find it a reassuring and simple reminder about the power of kindness.