I went looking for one bird on an early morning beach walk... I found a different one. And somehow, it taught me far more than the bird I was chasing.

Last week, I wondered whether a trip away from home might leave me without words. Without the familiar inspiration of my known surroundings. Not just writer’s block. But writer’s drought.

Instead, the trip handed me the story.

Sometimes, what we’re looking for isn’t found by chasing. It’s found by showing up, paying attention, and letting the moment arrive on its own.

What happens when you stop rushing the moment…and let it come to you?

Interestingly, the story was swirling around in my notebook for 20 days, I just needed to turn to the page to see it. On January 7th I wrote: “You don’t find the thing by chasing it. You find it by being present when it arrives.” January 28th, the story finally surfaced. Here is the companion piece I wrote a few years back.

In this episode, Samantha reflects on the unexpected surprises that life presents, drawing from her experiences with nature and the changing weather. She recounts a moment in Iceland where a cab driver expressed his preference for surprises over forecasts, which resonated with her as she navigated a snowstorm back home. This led her to ponder the familiar things in life that often go unnoticed, like the Blue Jay, a bird she had overlooked despite its everyday presence. Through her journey in bird photography, she learned that what we perceive as familiar can often be deceiving, revealing deeper layers of beauty and complexity when we take the time to truly observe.

Episode 13: The Engagement Calendar — And How to Build a Relationship with Nature This Year

What are you already in the middle of? This week, I spent a day away from my birds and realized something: the relationships that matter aren't the ones we're trying to build from scratch in January—they're the ones we've already been living and forgot to notice.

In this episode, I talk about:

Why missing one day with my backyard birds felt like breaking a promise I didn't know I'd made

The difference between "planting natives to save pollinators" and creating conditions for life to return when it's ready

How belonging is harder to sell than saving—but why it's what actually sustains us

Why wildlife gardening isn't about decorating a space, but entering a relationship

The worn path to my feeder and what it taught me about staying with something long enough to become part of the pattern

If you're tired of New Year's pressure to add more, do more, be more—this episode is about recognizing what you're already part of and choosing to stay with it.

What's the tiny ritual that starts your day? What rhythm, when you broke it, made you feel a little lost?

Those are the things worth returning to in 2026.

Not because they're new. Because they're true.

Related links:

Episode 12: Goal-Setting Theater vs. Nature's Quiet Rehearsal

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Follow along on Instagram: @flutterbymeadows