{"id":16119,"title":"Flying Solo","description":"As February begins another celebration is on the horizon. The omnipresent Valentine\u2019s Day. I am one of those people that has been \u2018unlucky in love\u2019. I have no significant other, I am alone, I\u2019m flying solo.","content":"

\"\"The festive season is well and truly over and as February begins another celebration is on the horizon. The omnipresent Valentine\u2019s Day. I am one of those people that has been \u2018unlucky in love\u2019. I have no significant other, I am alone, I\u2019m flying solo, I have no \u2018other half\u2019- my least favourite idiom, I am not \u2018half a human\u2019 waiting to be completed, made whole by another feckless person.<\/p>

As I watch passively from the sidelines, family and friends inevitably pair off, I remain a constant witness. Destined, apparently to remain unburdened with the challenges and joys of having someone special in my life. Valentine\u2019s Day fills me with a weary groan. I realised the other day that when I see affection depicted in film or drama, I avert my gaze. A symptom perhaps of the constant barrage of lovers forced into our eye holes.<\/p>

Why I am telling you this? Well it brings me to my work, I have thrown myself wholeheartedly into it, the irony that Birds Can Fly explores our love of nature is not lost on me. My Bird Lover series<\/a><\/strong> is intended to share our mutual love of ornithology. My love of birds has been the constant, I have always longed to take flight (to escape), always known that my love of birds will last, it will not leave me, or cheat on me or fade like it romantic love can.\u00a0

\"\"

My artistic exploration of ornithology gives my life meaning, this body of work, still relatively new is in stark contrast to The Pansy Project, that was\/is, in some way a reflection and response to hatred. If I was playing amateur psychologist, I might suspect that my early interactions with hate and violence has compromised my ability to find love. My childhood trauma lead to adolescent fear of intimacy and perhaps I now live with the doom-laden legacy of being exposed to the worst of humanity. Though do not pity me, I am pragmatic, many, many, many people stay \u2018on the shelf\u2019 quite happily, I am content to remain independent and unloved, in this particular way. I tell myself that perhaps one day I may meet a person who is willing to engage with my idiosyncrasies, though it\u2019s also quite possible that I may not meet this allusive person. I should also assure you that I have had relationships in the past, they\u2019ve just not lasted, a combination of bad choices and bad luck on my part.\u00a0<\/p>

If you have been amongst those more fortunate in romance, then good for you, hurrah for it, have a ticker-tape parade. Though whether you\u2019ve loved and lost, through error or tragedy and continue on, solo, then I hope you have found another passion, another channel for the love you have to give. I discovered the other day that \u2018Ornithophilia\u2019 is a term that refers to the sexual attraction to birds. I do not have that. I just adore their beauty and capacity for flight and always have, and if you\u2019re reading this, I\u2019m guessing that you do too, and isn\u2019t that just a wonderful thing. Whatever you do this Valentine\u2019s Day, have a pretty one.\u00a0<\/p>

Thanks for stopping by.<\/p>

With Love, as ever Paul.\u00a0<\/p>","urlTitle":"flying-solo","url":"\/blog\/flying-solo\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/flying-solo\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/birdscanflystore.com\/blog\/flying-solo\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1643725448,"updatedAt":1643727318,"publishedAt":1643727318,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":107566,"name":"Birds Can Fly"},"tags":[{"id":1112,"code":"the-pansy-project","name":"ThePansyProject","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/the-pansy-project\/"},{"id":1113,"code":"birds-can-fly","name":"BirdsCanFly","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/birds-can-fly\/"},{"id":1114,"code":"art","name":"Art","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/art\/"},{"id":1115,"code":"birds","name":"Birds","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/birds\/"},{"id":1116,"code":"ornithology","name":"Ornithology","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/ornithology\/"},{"id":1117,"code":"l-g-b-t-q","name":"LGBTQ","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/l-g-b-t-q\/"},{"id":1515,"code":"valentines","name":"Valentines","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/valentines\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/yycfcsqxpuwz29ke9n1kpd0qr2hmbqm6crmrdcvtn3whxvia.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/yycfcsqxpuwz29ke9n1kpd0qr2hmbqm6crmrdcvtn3whxvia.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/yycfcsqxpuwz29ke9n1kpd0qr2hmbqm6crmrdcvtn3whxvia.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Flying Solo & The Love of Birds","metaDescription":"As the omnipresent Valentine\u2019s Day approaches, I am one of those people that has been \u2018unlucky in love\u2019... I\u2019m flying solo.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":9889,"title":"LGBT History Month","url":"\/blog\/lgbt-history-month\/","urlTitle":"lgbt-history-month","division":107566,"description":"Paul Harfleet reflects on LGBT History Month 2021.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ekp1npewm3bbdgz5vh688egmi8wa75ayhuzytu5v3mmwofwu.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ekp1npewm3bbdgz5vh688egmi8wa75ayhuzytu5v3mmwofwu.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":9902,"title":"Stories Behind the Designs","url":"\/blog\/the-story-of-birds-can-fly\/","urlTitle":"the-story-of-birds-can-fly","division":107566,"description":"The journey from drawing to garment.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/logdy9wz68ihyajfcrhjcrncc3nxc9tms1c6yx9jculeotz6.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/logdy9wz68ihyajfcrhjcrncc3nxc9tms1c6yx9jculeotz6.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":10431,"title":"Birds Can Fly: Hearing from the Winners","url":"\/blog\/reflecting-on-the-birds-can-fly-competition\/","urlTitle":"reflecting-on-the-birds-can-fly-competition","division":107566,"description":"Hearing from the winners of my Second Birds Can Fly Competition and reflecting on the impact of this new body of work.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/4ssny9ukfh73kvpgeqxj8aclazu3iziv69lte62andyxlhqx.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/4ssny9ukfh73kvpgeqxj8aclazu3iziv69lte62andyxlhqx.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}