A Morning Collection — August 10, 2026
Aug 10, 2026
"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." — Simone Weil
⭐️ Something I Noticed
This week a bear came to the window, put his paws on the glass, gave us a look, and then moved on to the bird feeder for a snack.
A few days later, a chipping sparrow landed about two feet away from me while I was sitting outside.
There was something familiar about this bird.
Last summer, I watched a nest of chipping sparrows next to my studio for two weeks—first the eggs, then the hatchlings, until the day they flew away. So when this little bird landed under the chair beside me and looked up, I recognized him.
It lasted only a few seconds. I think I startled and scared him off before I understood what was happening.
Do birds come back?
Turns out, many do.
📒 A Word This Morning
Philopatry — from the Greek philos, meaning "loving," and patra, meaning "homeland."
It describes an animal's tendency to return to, or remain near, a place it has known before; sometimes the place where it was born.
Many birds show philopatry, returning to the same nesting area year after year. (In fact, we've had Eastern Phoebes return to the same nest they built in our rafters 2 years in a row).
I have no idea whether my little friend who visited was one of last summer's birds.
But I love knowing that it's possible.
💛 Something I Love
There are other things worth returning to, too.
An old book. Sometimes we meet the same words again and discover that we're the thing that has changed.
This week I returned to words I spent years writing when I recorded an audio version of my book, The Artist's Virtues.
The heart of the book is about becoming an artist — but not only about becoming more skillful. It's also about developing the qualities that help us keep learning, noticing, and making things.
If you'd like some encouragement for your own artist's journey, you can listen to the complete audiobook here.