As the Hummingbird prepared for her long flight home she looked back on her journey and all that she had learned from all of her new animal friends. She was sad to go back home, but in order to survive the transition back to normal life and live happily ever after, she was going to have to make some changes!
Usually in her downtime before the trip, the hummingbird would sit on her phone, working on her next hilarious tweet. But the hummingbird has no desire to do that anymore. She would much rather reflect on her day and think about how she felt, and why. Her trip with Pacific Discovery had started a fire inside of her that made her want to be happy, and completely in touch with her thoughts and feelings. She wanted to live everyday to the fullest, to get outside at least once every day in order to truly see the world she was living in.
The hummingbird also went home with hope. If you had asked the hummingbird if she wanted to have chicks a month ago, she would have said: "No. This world is going to shit, I don't want to put my chicks through the physical wars that the future will have as global warming progresses, or any of the mental wars that I had to face as a teenage bird." She knows how hard it is to have your mind be your worst enemy, and sadly it's becoming more and more common.
But now she had hope. Hope that life is a blessing, that she wants to have chicks to give them the gift of being able to experience all the amazing things that she has. She is less concerned about a future natural disaster after learning that she isn't alone, that other animals want to try to save the planet too, and that a small group of 14 fury and feathery friends can make a huge impact. That as long as you're a hummingbird and try your best, that's all you can do, and you might be able to make a huge difference.
And yes, there is nothing you can do to stop mental illness from happening, but you can get through it. Everyone the little hummingbird met on the trip had been through some sort of hardship in the past and had survived. They have all faced challenges but are now alive and well, and making the most of life. The hummingbird wants to take the spirit and joy of being alive that was so present on her trip with Pacific Discovery, and show it to her friends and family at home. If the hummingbird can survive jumping out of a plane, she can definitely survive returning to work and school with a new, positive, outlook on life.
The hummingbird also learned something very important from the eagle on her trip; the importance of quality of life. She will take that with her wherever she goes, and ensure that she will do whatever she can to enhance her experience on the planet.
So be the hummingbird, make a difference, live life to the fullest, but remember to take time to sharpen your axe. Keep stretching your elastic, but remember that it is still fragile, and try not to snap it. Look back in the memories that we made here and smile, take the lessons we learned and use them throughout the rest of your life.
"I will be a hummingbird, I will do the best I can"- Wangari Maathai (Kenyan environmental activist, women’s rights advocate, and Nobel Peace Prize winner)
You are amazing