DAY 16: LET'S FLY!—FIVE MOMENTS OF THE EXAMEN PRAYER (2/5)

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his is the second moment of the Examen prayer for day sixteen of the Season of Creation. Bret Tobalske, a University of Montana physiologist, says that a hummingbird's chest muscles account for 20 percent of its mass. He explains that "if a human had that mass of muscles, it would stick out like a 55-gallon drum. It would be freakin' enormous" (National Geographic, September 2011). 

II. EXPERIENCE (2/5): We have said the secret to flying is the wing, so the secret of the examen is human experience with emphasis on human choices. God, who longs for us more, is already speaking to us and we are already responding to God through our everyday human choices. Both good and bad experiences become a part of who we are which function as our wingspan in navigating through life, e.g., human thoughts, feelings, actions, reactions, and inactions. The person that best fits a job is the one seasoned by experience, like a seasoned pilot, and there are no substitutes nor shortcuts to that. These are like the various shapes and types of feathers and muscles that grow on the bird’s arms, which, after years of experience, are given proper shape and form. A bird’s feathers are considered the most complex body structure found in any animal. They aid not only in flight but also in thermal insulation and in providing weatherproof shelter for the chicks. Each feather can have more than a million tiny branches called barbules. These barbules have hooks (hamuli) that tack the feather’s main branches together like zippers. So if the bird ruffles its feathers, it just strokes the feather with its beak to fasten the parts and it is back in perfect form again. A bird spends time each day assessing and grooming its feathers to ensure a hassle-free flight. Likewise, the examen is an assessment of the day through mindful scanning of the previous hours remembering with indifference thoughts, feelings, actions, reactions, and inactions that arose. It is often impossible to cover everything in a short period so learn how to pick and choose. Ask yourself these questions to assess what was imagined, felt, said, done, or not done during the day, “Was it true? Was it necessary? Was it kind?” Ask for forgiveness from God. 8thWorker.us