Another of Dad’s stories illustrates the best and worst of decision making. It came in handy recently, so I’ll share it with you.
This little bird lived happily in his treehouse. The weather was cooling, and other birds were flying south. Not ready to uproot himself, this bird couldn’t make himself leave.
One morning the bird awoke to snow. Shivering, he realized he should have flown south earlier. No matter, he’d begin his journey now.
So the bird flew for days on end to catch up. Even when his wings got tired, he kept flying – yet he had many miles to go.
Too cold to continue, the exhausted bird dropped to the ground. Landing in a fresh pile of cow dung, the bird was horrified. This spot was terrible, yet he had no energy to move. So, he sat in the heap.
Soon he realized he was warmer. That dung had heat and provided the bird a warm resting spot. Once he recovered his warmth, the bird flew away.
This simple story teaches different things: Our journeys are our own, we’ll have good times, we’ll be tired, sometimes we’ll find comfort in the worst places, and we should leave earlier than we want.
Dad’s story reminds me that, like the bird, we all fall. More importantly, we find a comfort and a strength to rise up. Even when we are tired and land in a bad spot, we can find a way out.
I’m Elsa Glover, and that’s my perspective.
