Busy Hummingbird Takes A Rest

Title

Busy Hummingbird Takes A Rest

Artist

Brian Tada

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

Shareable link:
https://bit.ly/RestingHummingbird

A beautiful Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna) enjoys an extended rest on a flowering salvia stem along Richardson Bay near Mill Valley, California in the San Francisco Bay Area.

During the day, the hummingbird expends an incredible amount of energy in flight. For this demanding task, its wing muscles comprise nearly a quarter of the total body weight.

To fuel all that energy, it must consume more than its weight in nectar each day, visiting hundreds of flowers to obtain energizing carbohydrates and eating insects whenever it can for protein, often on the fly.

A hummingbird in flight has the highest metabolism rate of any homeothermic (warm-blooded) animal, and can digest food in as little as 10-20 minutes.

During the night, it goes into a deep sleep called torpor, where its heart rate slows from 1,200 beats per minute down to as low as 50.

To rest from its labors is therefore an essential part of a hummingbird’s very existence. It truly lives a finely tuned balance of activity and sleep.

We as humans can learn valuable lessons from God’s creation in nature. Indeed, the Creator designed for us to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

The health and safety benefits of quality rest (and sleep) are numerous! Here are 20 benefits I gleaned from various sources:

* Re-focuses thinking patterns
* Revives from weariness
* Recharges and renews energy
* Reduces stress
* Helps strengthen body’s defense against illness
* Helps build healthy cells and tissues
* Enhances decision making and reaction time (helps avoid accidents)
* Maintains healthy body weight by reducing fat and keeping muscle
* Improves memory
* Helps build relationships to get along with people better
* Helps improve attitude and outlook on life
* Creates better quality of life
* Increases longevity
* Ignites creativity
* Reduces inflammation
* Improves athletic performance
* Lessens daytime fatigue
* Increases stamina
* Lessens hunger pangs
* Enhances concentration and productivity

And the list of benefits goes on….

To put an exclamation point on the discussion, consider the implications of a lack of sleep while on the job. A study found that hospital interns who worked a “traditional” schedule of shifts lasting longer than 24 hours had an increase of 36% in serious medical errors than those who had more sleep. This was in an Intensive Care Unit at a hospital! (1)

Truly, God’s magnificent handiwork in nature waves a flag to those who heed the call and teaches us the importance of slowing down and taking the Sabbath Rest, the very thing the Creator Himself did during creation (Genesis 2:2).

Keeping Sabbath honors God and helps us live longer and healthier.

In the Jewish tradition, the Sabbath Rest is considered among the most important and sacred of the holidays, as it is the Fourth Commandment of the Ten Commandments ~ one of God’s guidelines for successful living:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
~ Exodus 20:8-11, NKJV

If it is good enough for the Creator of the universe to do, it would definitely be good for us to practice toward a healthy, longer life.

Power Point:

What is one NEW thing you can do this week to help promote more rest and better sleep in your lifestyle?


Footnote:

(1) Landrigan CP, et. al, “Effect of reducing interns’ work hours on serious medical errors in intensive care units”. New England Journal of Medicine, 2004 Oct. 28;351(18):1838-48. Accessed Dec. 7, 2019 via Pub Med, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15509817


Grateful to God and thankful to the group administrator for featuring "Busy Hummingbird Takes a Rest" on the Fine Art America groups ::

* IMAGES THAT EXCITE YOU, 12.09.19
* 10 PLUS, 12.10.19
* WISCONSIN FLOWERS AND SCENERY, 12.10.19
* 10 PLUS, 12.10.19
* FAA PORTRAITS - BIRDS, 12.11.19
* ANIMALS AND BIRDS IN THE WILD, 12.13.19
* ARTIST SALON 1, 12.13.19
* WILDLIFE ONE A DAY, 12.18.19
* A BIRDING GROUP - WINGS, 12.21.19
* ARTIST NEWS, 12.23.19
* CAMERA ART, 01.26.20
* POETIC POULTRY, 02.14.20
* WILD BIRDS OF THE WORLD, 03.30.20
* 1,000 VIEWS ON 1 IMAGE, 03.26.22
* GO TAKE A HIKE, 04.02.22
* ABC GROUP, Q is for Quiescent" Theme, 07.30.22
_____

Special Awards:

04.05.22: Administrator's "Selection of the Week"
posted on the homepage of the Go Take a Hike Photography Group. Thank you to group host Larry Kniskern for this recognition. God bless you! And congratulations to the other artists whose work was also chosen!

04.17.21: "Group Admin’s Pick"
from the Go Take a Hike Photography Group’s Perched Birds photo contest. Thank you to group host Larry Kniskern for this recognition. God bless you!

03.30.20: "Dawn's Delights" Award
Grateful to God that "Busy Hummingbird Takes a Rest" was selected by group host Dawn Currie as one of her "Dawn's Delights" of the week selections in her group, Wild Birds of the World (group started by William Tasker of blessed memory). Thank you so much, Dawn, for this honor! God bless you! And, to God the Creator be the glory and praise!

12.10.19: "Special Highlighted Artist of the Week" Award
Giving glory to God that "Busy Hummingbird Takes a Rest" was selected for one of the Special Highlighted Artists of the Week award on the "Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery" home page. Very grateful to Mr. Randy Rosenberger, group host, for the selection. Thank you, sir! God bless you abundantly!

Here are Mr. Rosenberger's remarks::
"Brian, I am so excited about seeing this little hummer, as you have captured all the tiny details of the features and colors. The best capture of a hummer I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. Wow factor, in my book! Congratulations for being one of our present SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTED ARTISTS, as you are very deserving of this special honor. Check it out on top of the Homepage of our site. It surely is a true honor to FEATURE THIS BEAUTY ON OUR HOMEPAGE! Your talents and love for art are surely dominant in this beautiful piece of outstanding art work! Thanks so very much for sharing, so we may enjoy and adore the beauty within! LIKED AND FAVED Randy B. Rosenberger (admin of WFS group)."

Thank you, Mr. Rosenberger, for your kind thoughts on this image! God bless you! And to GOD the Creator be the glory! Hallelujah!

_____


Photography notes:

I hope you enjoy viewing this close-up photographic portrait of one of God’s amazing creatures. This art image and others in my portfolio are available as museum-quality fine art prints for purchase to decorate your home and/or office/business. Please kindly see the ordering options at the link. My prayer is that God’s sweet presence of His peace, purpose and joy go with every artwork piece brought into your home and/or business. Thank you very much for your support of my artwork, which helps provide income as I rebuild my life and finances. God bless you.

Embedded in the top right-hand corner is the Hebrew acronym for "B'ezras Hashem" [ב ס " ד] meaning "with God's help". It is a reminder to me as an artist and photographer of my dependence on the Almighty, the Originator of all creativity. This is a similar acknowledgement used by great artists like Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel who signed their work with the Latin phrase, "Soli Deo gloria" which means, "Glory to God alone".

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Photo copyright © 2019 Brian Tada. To the glory of God. All rights reserved. Downloading, duplication, distribution and/or altering of this image is prohibited. Please do not capture/make screenshots of this copyrighted image.

As this is part of my livelihood, your purchase of an item available for order on this page would be greatly appreciated to support my continuing work in fine art nature photography. Thank you very much. God bless you.

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December 8th, 2019

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