Bird Magic

Since moving here, birds have played a more dominant role in our lives. We wake to them and listen more intently during the day.. Crow seems to call out more often and the sighting of woodpecker is more frequent. Cardinal as well.
Add to that hummingbird.
I used to see hummingbird as my totem, but he slipped my memory until just recently. He came to visit while on vacation and his message rings true. find joy. lighten up.
I can lean towards taking things a little too seriously. There is that perfectionist part of me and will work until I see it as perfect or as close to it as I can get (especially if there is a time limit).
We have feathers all around us here at home.. hawk, turkey, condor, macaw, white peacock and crow. Many were gifted.. some found.
They are reminders to me.. ideas, dreams.. flight.
Yesterday, I had this feeling come over me of "not good enough".. not interesting enough.. too boring... John got a good laugh from this when I brought it up.. and that's when I thought of hummingbird and her message to lighten up.. it's ok to just relax (not work) and stop comparing. It brought me to the art room because that is the place where I go for myself.. to listen to where that message may have come from.. and create.
Mandala usually brings me back to balance. I used a newish journal with rag pages and took out the H2O's along with the markers and the glittering gel pens (those alone make me feel good)
Being that it's scanned, it doesn't show the glitteriness very well.
Messages are all around us if we pay attention and open our eyes and heart.. what is it telling you, what is it mirroring back at you?

I'd like a blue jay feather.