Learning the Names of the Birds in My Local Park

Dear Delyara, I bought a small pocket bird guide from a charity shop today. I spent an hour sitting on a slightly damp wooden bench by the pond, trying to tell the difference between a dunnock, a blue tit, and a common house sparrow. It sounds like a stereotypically quiet, older hobby, but it forced me to keep my chin up. For months, I’ve walked with my eyes glued to the pavement, locked inside the cage of my own spinning thoughts. Looking up into the oak trees, I feel like I’m finally learning the actual language of the place where I live, rather than just treating it as a backdrop for my morning rush.