Journey

Few things in the animal world fascinate us quite like bird migration. 

The feathered globetrotters' journeys are packed with energy and stamina. My recent reading about bird migration includes classic annual outward and return "flyways", "loop migration" with a different return journey, or even "migratory divide" meaning more than one route for some species.

One of the evolutionary eurekas that go with migratory journey is the advantage of moving. At a glance it might seem that the exhausting migration is hazardous. It's hard work, mentally and physically, with long, chaotic hours. The truth is, however, that survival rates among sedentary species - those that stay put over winter - are often lower than among related species that migrate. It's not just birds which have to migrate to survive. We too have our own need. As I keep working for the last two weeks - fourteen days in a row without break - I know very well that pattern doesn't confer any survival advantage.

Similar to birds that migrate to find resources to keep them alive, I have tried to depart even I'm obliged to return to hospital daily. Instead of undertaking the long haul African-Eurasian or Asian-Australasian flyway routes, I strike a balance between moving and staying put, and made short hike to a mountain nearby. Not once but twice, in different direction.

Believe it or not, moving around is the best way to fill our tank with fuel to strike for survival.