Be the hummingbird

It shames me to say that I did not know about Wangari Maathai, the remarkable woman—the force of nature—who died Sunday at age 71.

The obits cite her courage for standing up for women and the environment against corrupt governments and big business interests—and the Nobel Peace prize she was awarded for her Green Belt Movement. She encouraged women to plant trees, and when she heard from the Nobel committee, that’s what she did—she planted a tree.

She was, BTW, the first African woman Nobel Laureate.

Her protests continued in the face of tear-gassing, beatingsand whippings by goons from Daniel arap Moi’s government in her homeland of Kenya. Moi labeled her “subversive”, that all-purpose gov-speak for “unsilenceable and uncomfortable.”

But here’s what I love about her—she wanted to be a hummingbird. (Click on the video clip about 60% down the article. I could have given you the YouTube link, but the NPR story is worth reading, too.) Note that none of the animals rallies to the hummingbird; it just keeps on bringing water to the fire.

Think about it: all the troubles—all the insurmountable obstacles, all the massive forces aligned against the little guy—and it’s possible to do the best you can. It’s possible and worthwhile—whatever your beak will hold, carry it to the fire.

The story is powerful, but it’s Maathai’s telling of it that stops you in your tracks. Listen to her voice and look at the expression on her face.

And be the hummingbird, mes amis. Be the hummingbird.