Rufous Fantail

The Rufous Fantail is constantly on the move, like it always has a spring in its step and some flare in its feathers.

I was lying in the back of my van, wasting time on my phone, when it first showed up. I'd had a lazy few days in the Blue Mountains, using intermittent showers as an excuse not to get out of bed. And then the Rufous Fantail came to visit, in all its verve and vitality. It swivelled on the spot looking at me, asking: "what are you doing in there Jabba? It's all happening out here." It was enough to get me up and out into the day. And then I was away.

The Rufous Fantail reminds me to get outside and move my body. The rusty colour of its feathers rams home the message: "keep moving or you'll start to rust".

Watching its grace of movement, it has encouraged me to be more conscious of how I move through the world, and to take the opportunity in everyday movement to be agile and nimble. To jump over things. Lift and carry things with intention. Step around people with agility. Climb things, balance on things. Spin around. Dance in the kitchen. Shake my fantail.

If we move through our physical surrounds with a grace of movement, our bodies will remain well-oiled machines.

Are you conscious of how you move through the world? Could you find more grace in your movement? Is it ever a bad idea to get off the screen and outside and moving?