A Field Guide to Birds of Your Heart

If you sit quietly and listen, you can hear the many birds that dwell in your heart. They are your lifelong companions, and they are worth getting to know.

Heartful birding is a simple pastime that requires neither early morning forays nor specialized equipment – just curiosity and an open spirit.

What is this?

Bring joy to your gratitude practice! Follow simple rules to play solitaire using cards from the board game Wingspan. As you play, consult the Guide (the booklet centerfold) whenever you (a) reveal a new card, (b) “release” a set of cards, and (c) at the end of the game when you'll be left with three eggs to ponder.

The Guide offers prompts for each of these actions. Reflect on them. Write down your response, if you want, or just keep the answer in your heart.

This is not a "solo journaling game" where you role-play a character or make up a story. It's a card game that creates space to reflect.

What do I need to play?

• A handful of bird cards from the board game Wingspan
• Egg tokens
• These rules
• A journal, or the included journal page, and something to write with 
• 30-60 minutes of quiet space to reflect and play a hand of solitaire

Credits

I created this game for the Say Hi to a Bird Jam hosted by Logan Timmins. Thank you to Logan and the entire Lyrical Ludology community for feeling your feelings – and for feeling my feelings.

Thank you to Elizabeth Hargrave for your deep commitment to the game design community. I hope I’ve honored your exhortation to “Jam on!”

Wingspan is a trademark of Stonemaier Games, which is unaffiliated with this material.

Charity donation

From November 18 to 30, I will donate all proceeds from this game to the Bodhana Group, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that advocates the use of tabletop gaming as a directed therapeutic and clinical practice.