Bye Bye Birdie
I woke up this morning in a delightful mood. The beautiful weather was icing on the cake. I found myself humming as I finished my shower and packed my gear for business appointments in Long Island and Westchester County.
Somewhere during the day, my mood turned sour and pissy. I became grumpy and snapped at people. Not even the claiming of $100 from the NYPD for turning in a handgun improved my mood. Not a good lunch at a quaint filipino restaurant in Queens. Not a peaceful drive back to Spanish Harlem. What was it?
Only now, at 7:30 or so on Monday night, have I figured it out. While driving down the Hutchinson River Parkway today, a bird struck the car. Not a direct hit to the vehicle, but to the luggage rack. It hit hard enough that I heard it. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw feathers flying like confetti as the poor fella's body fell to the ground and was then engulfed by another car whose driver, like me, had no time to react or even consider the life of a single, solitary bird.
Sometimes when I feel grumpy or sad or anxious, I can attack those feelings by figuring out exactly what is causing them. By realizing what caused it today, the load of grumpiness and anxiety my shoulders bear is lighter, but sadness still lingers as I wonder to myself if there are now baby birds waiting for the return of their mother, a mother who won't be home tonight.
Somewhere during the day, my mood turned sour and pissy. I became grumpy and snapped at people. Not even the claiming of $100 from the NYPD for turning in a handgun improved my mood. Not a good lunch at a quaint filipino restaurant in Queens. Not a peaceful drive back to Spanish Harlem. What was it?
Only now, at 7:30 or so on Monday night, have I figured it out. While driving down the Hutchinson River Parkway today, a bird struck the car. Not a direct hit to the vehicle, but to the luggage rack. It hit hard enough that I heard it. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw feathers flying like confetti as the poor fella's body fell to the ground and was then engulfed by another car whose driver, like me, had no time to react or even consider the life of a single, solitary bird.
Sometimes when I feel grumpy or sad or anxious, I can attack those feelings by figuring out exactly what is causing them. By realizing what caused it today, the load of grumpiness and anxiety my shoulders bear is lighter, but sadness still lingers as I wonder to myself if there are now baby birds waiting for the return of their mother, a mother who won't be home tonight.
posted by Michael Vernon at Monday, August 21, 2006
2 Comments:
:~(
Sad, but there shouldn't be any little ones going hungry. It's the wrong time of year for that.
I'm upset when any creature dies, even the small ones. Still, it's part of life, so I hope you didn't dwell on it too long.
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