Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report written on birds that he'd had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.
In the narrative recounted, the author reflects on a childhood memory of her older brother struggling with a daunting writing assignment about birds. Faced with the pressure of an impending deadline and feeling overwhelmed, he sat at the kitchen table at their family cabin, unable to make progress. This moment illustrates the paralysis that can come with large tasks when they feel insurmountable.
Then, the father intervenes with a simple yet profound piece of advice: to break the task into manageable parts, encapsulated in the phrase "bird by bird." This advice not only addresses the immediate challenge of writing but also serves as a broader life lesson, emphasizing the importance of taking small steps when facing overwhelming obstacles.