Eagles are the only birds in the world that actually fly into a storm. When they see the wind rising, they simply allow it to carry them higher and higher until at last they can soar without effort. Eagles never fly with lesser birds or surround themselves with anything but another eagle. 
They can spot a small animal from 5 kilometers in the sky and never lose sight of it until it is in their grasp. Eagles put everything to the test even the mate that they will eventually raise their young with. The female eagle will exhaust a male eagle for hours by dropping a small branch from an ever increasing height in the sky. The male must catch it and return it to her time after time before she commits to him. These powerful birds then mate for life and hatch their eggs high above the ground on a ledge or in a tall tree. In the beginning, the young birds are surrounded by comfort and watched over constantly by at least one of the parents. However, before they are ready to live on their own, all of this changes. They are thrown from the nest time after time by the parents. This goes on for hours but in the end, the young eagles learn to fly and soon to soar. Before the eagle dies, it hides itself somewhere in the rocks and picks all the old feathers from its body. Only after new ones have come to replace the old, does the eagle return to the open skies. The eagle is king among birds and there is no other bird that even comes close to it in grace and power. The eagle is a good example for us as people. Like this wonderful bird, we need to maximize our life, to use our gifts, talents and abilities. Eagles are distinct and unique among birds and we should be the same as people. Christina Aguilera says it best in her song Soar, “Don’t be scared to fly alone. Find a path that is your own. Love will open every door. See in your hands the world is yours. Don’t hold back and always know, all the answers you will unfold. What are you waiting for? Spread your wings and soar.”
USA education level required to read this post: 7th grade
Difficult Words: abilities, actually, eventually, increasing, ledge, maximize, soar, somewhere, surrounded, unique
Eagle photo (c) Peter Wallack http://birdsofsanibel.free.fr
Questions for Class and Pair Discussion
- Like an eagle, how important to your success is it to be focused on something?
- In life and in business, should you test the committment of others that you plan to become partners with?
- How would you rate your friends, eagles or just some other kind of bird?
- How important is it to shed old habits, like the eagle sheds old feathers, for new ones that add something to you life?
