What Type of Bird Are You?

Yesterday my friend and I went for our morning walk with my 2 labs and the heat of the Arizona early morning. Every time we walk it's almost a nature-seeking mission. Lots of rabbits and random birds along the railroad tracks. We occasionally see a roadrunner but not as often as we would like. There are a few quail that every once in a while will come out from hiding, almost a reminder to us that they are still there. We watch hummingbirds as they whip through the sky, very occasionally coming to a standstill on a branch. Yesterday, however, was different. As we walked, I looked at a scraggly tree with only a few leaves but lots of branches. I said to my friend, "Is that a roadrunner in that tree?" She said, "No, roadrunners don't go in trees." As we looked closer though, sure enough, it was a roadrunner. He was crouched on a branch with his long tail up at a strong angle. We were thrilled. As we looked closer at the tree we also saw a dove and what looked like a common sparrow. It wasn't too long and they were joined by a hummingbird stopping for a rest. So, there we stood, looking at the roadrunner, dove, sparrow, and hummingbird together in this leafless tree. It was an amazing site. We wondered for a minute if perhaps there was a snake at the bottom of the tree keeping them trapped. We didn't go look. As we continued on our walk, I couldn't stop thinking about what an odd site that was. I have a tendency to look for messages in things that seem out of place or not as they normally would be. I began to think of the site as extremely metaphorical. The tree became the world, the birds became representatives of different types of people, races, religions, countries. What a lesson to be learned by those flying creatures. If you look at birds as the species and the types of birds their sub-species in the same way as people being the species and race, religion, etc., as their sub-species, and the tree as a family, a school, a community, a state, or a country, and then see them all living in the same space, it will lead your mind to consider the what ifs. You can take it a step further and if there truly was a snake keeping the birds trapped in the tree, who or what would be the snake in the second scenario? Were the birds truly trapped or were they being protected? Or, did they simply make the choice to share the same tree? Makes one wonder. Sort of rambling today. It is amazing how many different thoughts can be inspired from a simple picture or situation, if we are so inclined to let our minds wander through the possible messages. As I think of those birds in the tree, I wonder what type of bird I am. Am I the roadrunner who is so graceful in its escape, quick, and running with purpose, living on lizards, berries, and the occasional small bird? Am I the dove who speaks with a peaceful voice, spending time in flocks, eating seeds and bugs from the ground? Am I the sparrow who seems to have family everywhere, not really bothered about anything that is happening around it, eating anything that it happens to find? Am I the hummingbird who is constantly flapping its wings almost frenetically, flitting from sweet flowers, and only occasionally stopping to catch its breath? If I had to choose, I couldn't. I am a little of all four. Today's challenge: Think about what type of bird/person you are and how you relate to those around you. Do you live peacefully in your tree?