Last week on school, when I was talking to younger students about the importance of the environment and how we depend on it, one small boy asked me "What inspires you to to so much for the environment" I told him, "It was a story i heard not so long ago."

I am sure, many of us have read this story before, but its my favorite story and this is where i draw my inspiration from.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, and maybe not even so far away from where you live now, there lived many animals in a deep, green forest. And they lived in relative harmony, except when one animal was eaten by another animal as sometimes happens in a deep, green forest. But that was appreciated as the story of life and death. And the continuation of life. And in the cycle of things, as they are and as they are meant to be, there was equanimity and peace...

Until one day, a fire raged and raged in the deep, green forest. And all the animals gave chase or took flight to try and save themselves from the inferno. While running away they felt huge despair at the thought of what they were leaving behind... their only home. 

When they reached a safe distance some of the animals stopped to look at the raging fire, and noticed a small spot of red in the blue sky, circling back and forth, from a clear, cool lake to the blazing, burning forest... What was it? It was the red-throated hummingbird. And in her beak she ferried a few small drops of water to try to stop the fire. She flew back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth again.

The animals below looked up in amazement. The lion looked up, the elephant, the badger and the bear. They all looked up at the red-throated hummingbird in disbelief.

And the lion roared: "Red-throated hummingbird, what do you think YOU are doing up there with your one drop of water?" 

Undeterred by the impossibility of it all, the little hummingbird said: "I am doing what I can." 

The Hummingbird Story means, never give up. Any effort to help is an effort worth making.

I try and be the humming bird in my community! :)