Adventures in Paradise 31

Adventures in Paradise 31

Kia Orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with some thoughts on birds, offhand comments, differences in perspective and the effect that our actions have on others. Whew! How can these four subjects possibly be tied together in one blog?

My son is house sitting while we are away. He made an offhand comment on Facebook a week or so ago that has had me thinking about it ever since. He was complaining about being awakened at five o’clock in the morning by the annoying chirping of birds outside the bedroom window. I was stunned that he found this “music” so annoying, as I had always found it a welcome sign that spring had arrived. For twenty-seven years, I have considered this to be a lovely, peaceful way to start my day. What a difference in perspective my son and I have!

As I thought about his comments, it occurred to me that not only do I miss the sounds of birds in the morning at home, but I miss them here as well. For a tropical island, it is strangely quiet. That is, of course, if you don’t factor crowing roosters into the equation! There are almost no birds on this island. There is no chirping or singing, in the mornings; it is silent. Silent, that is, except for the Myna bird………………………….

Some days, I feel like we are living out a scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, “The Birds”. In the early twentieth century, Rarotonga planters were concerned about the damage the Paper Hornets, Coconut Stick insects and caterpillars were doing to their crops. There was much discussion as to what could and should be done. At one point in the discussions, a planter suggested introducing Myna birds to the island. He had heard that they could quickly eradicate these pests and all would be well once again. Others voiced the concern that the Myna might somehow be destructive in other ways, but this planter was convinced that this bird was the solution to all of his problems. So, in 1909, this planter, against the wishes and warnings of his neighbors, arranged to have several pairs of Myna birds shipped to him. His argument was, “What business is it of yours what I do on my own property!” Parenthetically, these birds were shipped from an island where other larger birds kept the Myna bird population in check.

Fast forward, now, to twenty- first century Rarotonga. The good news is that you will not be able to find a Paper Hornet, Coconut- Stick insect, or a single caterpillar on the island. Hurray, the planter was right! The bad news is that the Myna bird multiplies very quickly, loves fruit and raids the nests of the local birds and eats their eggs. Uh oh. The result is that other than chickens and roosters, which are much larger than the Myna, and the Myna itself, there are almost no other birds on the island. So, quoting from a pamphlet issued by the Ministry of Agriculture we find that: “Today the stick-insect plagues of the past are forgotten. The attention of the people is now on the Myna plague.”

One man’s “personal” decision eventually affected the whole population of Rarotonga. I have been thinking so much lately, about how what we choose to do affect others. It’s been my experience that we often have no way of knowing how something we choose to do will influence those around us as well as those we will never meet. How could this planter ever have envisioned the breadth of the consequences of that one choice made so long ago? Would he have made another choice? We will never know, but what we do know is that our choices can be far reaching, so it is wise to be thoughtful when making them.

 I have found myself examining my life in the hopes that I have made more positive choices than negative ones and that, hopefully, those choices have been not only for my good, but for the good of others. I suspect that many of you have had the same concerns on occasion.  We do not exist in a vacuum.  Our lives intertwine and intersect as we move from one phase to another. Most of us could not exist without this interaction. I believe that this is the way our Heavenly Father meant it to be. I believe that He wants us to enhance the lives of others.

So, as always, we are happy and trying to work hard. I’m grateful to my son for inadvertently providing me with the idea for this blog. I am not so thankful for the Mynas who ate the bananas that I was going to turn into bread, and after whom I have to clean the veranda every day! I keep thinking about that one planter’s choice, and how it has affected so many others over the years. We continue to be grateful for the choices that you make that affect our lives in so many positive ways. From our perspective, you are all the best!  Thank you!

Love, Ward and Susan                          Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in the Cooks

Our morning visitors

Unwelcome  guests on our veranda.