Hanks: Birds of a feather
Looking out the kitchen window this morning, I noticed a flock of sparrows all trying to crowd into a skillet I placed by one of the water faucets in the backyard. I try to keep water out year round for whatever critters might need a drink. Of course it freezes up in the winter and I just dump the ice and refill it.
It was some fun watchin’ these little birds all try to out smart the others for position either in the shallow water or on the lip of the skillet.
We are all like that aren’t we gentle readers? Family members will sometimes do the same thing if it will improve our well being. Don’t you remember as a child you would try to position yourself closer to the birthday cake in hopes you might get your piece of cake sooner?
Families, at least in my opinion, are the foundation of our society. I see more and more families fragmented these days than I care to witness. I have friends, some married, some not, that have children that want nothing to do with them. I’m like, “how can that be?” As a child growing up everyone, well almost everyone, had a mother and father and they all seemed to have close and loving families. Not so much anymore.
I think we get too busy trying to stay on top of our game and some of the players are left on the bench when they should be on the field. Not much of a metaphor I know, but all I could come up with at the time.
Did you ever see a mother cow babysitting a dozen or so calves so her sisters could go to water or just have a break without having to watch their babies. That always warmed my heart and made me more aware most animals have family situations just as we humans.
Why else would we see dozens if not hundreds of geese flying in formation to their destinations? Same with ducks and many other species of our feathered friends. Bison, elk, deer, livestock and other of their types live and move with the family.
Cowboys are a family. You can go to any large ranch or rodeo where you find a bunch of cowpokes and you will notice how they help one another. They might not like some things about Curley or Ray, but they will pitch in and help when it’s needed.
Why do we see so many gangs and “gang bangers” in the inner cities of America? They are family. That’s where they find companionship and a way to be needed and have some purpose. It’s a sorry way to present yourself to society, but it is what it is.
You can go to a county fair and watch the kids help one another even when they are competing against each other, but they are birds of a feather. Wouldn’t it be nice to live in that utopia where all was perfect and there was no animosity, no jealousy, just happy day after happy day with no issues to distract us?
Now, as for me, that would be a little boring. We need competition, we need to learn how to deal with not only the joy of living but the sadness that seems to present itself when least expected. We need to be birds of a feather and stick together for the common good of us all. We need to fly in formation towards our destination, but of course, that ain’t gonna’ happen as we are so diverse some of us will be eagles and some will be meadow larks and I reckon both are necessary as to satisfy the workings of our particular place on the skillet by the water faucet.
Stay tuned, check yer cinch on occasion and remember, if yer a bronc rider, try and keep yer back pockets lower than yer eyebrows and I’ll c. y’all, all y’all.❖
