Dead Birds

So today I had planned on writing about a completely different topic...but then an interesting series of events happened...which got me thinking...

This morning, no different than any other morning, I let the puppies out to potty. And since lately they have found themselves in different sorts of trouble...playing in the mud, caught crossing the farm road to play in the field, soiled by dirty cat droppings...(not sure, and don't want to know!) I have been a little more cautious as to how long I leave them outside on their own. So I wait a substantial amount of time for them to do their business, and then call them in. Percy immediately comes to the door (which is rare) so I suspect they have been up to something. I call a couple more times for Petey (also rare, as he is usually the first one whimpering at the door to get back inside) and he happily comes prancing around the side of the house...carrying a large dead bird in his mouth. He comes up the step and as I realize what it is and that he is planning on bringing it inside with him...I immediately over-react. I shut the door and start yelling at him "No, Petey! No no! Drop that!" I'm freaked out and grossed out and eventually he gently lays the bird down on the step. He comes back inside, but first, after laying down the bird, looks up at me with a very confused expression, almost as to say, "what? it's just a bird." His eyes were confused and a little sad.

I left the bird on the step (hoping that Kevin would move it for me when he got home at lunch...which is another slightly funny incident that I will mention later) and went about my merry way.

(Petey then crawled up onto his spot on the back of the couch and was going to take a snooze, but I sense a slight amount of pouting?)

Anyway, the rest of the morning I began to think about that incident. It seems that lately I have had quite a few moments of complete disgust and confusion probably followed by over-reacting to a certain extent with different people/situations/things that have gone on. It made me start thinking a little harder about the things that come up, the way that people act, and the lack of understanding that goes on.

Sometimes we are so quick to judge someone else for something we heard they said, we saw them do, or disagree with the way something was handled. It is SO HARD for me sometimes to understand other people's point of view with it comes to specific situations. Sometimes I feel like it is SO black and white, and there is no other way around it! Other times I feel like I can completely relate, am the first one to give someone the benefit of the doubt, and dont want to form an opinion based on anything but fact. But how do I determine when to react one way or another? Do we pick and choose when we judge and when we understand?

Small towns can create a lot of pent up frustration that leads to too much "bottling up." We supress, we "keep our mouth shut," we stay out of it, we turn the other cheek, etc. etc. Sometimes I wonder how much  of one emotion we carry along as baggage to the other things that come up in our lives. It can be so hard to keep things in perpective and see life as the big picture that it is...seeing the things that really matter popping out boldly on the page, and the other things faded into the background. If only it were that easy.

I can think back to so many situations that at the time, I absolutely thought it was the "end of the world!" Whether I was sad, panic stricken, hurt, disgusted, supressing, infuriated, on and on etc., at the time I just couldn't get over it. It would eat at me and bother me. I still often lose sleep over things that I or Kevin, or whoever I'm worrying about at the time probabaly have no control of. Of course, always when you look back it's not that big of a deal when you think big picture. I think that the secret to having more peace about these things is learning to balance emotion and logic. To use the rational and sensible parts of us to help control the emotional and sensitive sides. Learning to respond with our brain rather than react with our feelings. (Or in my case many times...over-react.) So many things in this life are completely out of our control...but one thing we ALWAYS have control of is our own actions and responses to the things around us. And although it's impossible to do this all the time, with everything, as we are human... the important thing is being aware of the goal and the effort put into it.

My favorite prayer of ALL time is the serenity prayer, which is not only beautiful, but a NECESSITY when it comes to a personality like mine...a worrier, a "dweller," not being able to let things go...and also fitting to the topic!

When you look at any situation, things are usually not what they seem. After all, like Petey would say, "it's just a bird!"

When Kevin got home from lunch today he was really struggling with some things going on with him as of late. (another reason for this topic, and for the things that have been on my mind.) But despite his own battles and inner demons, and being the wonderful husband that he is, he agreed to dispose of the dead bird who was still peacefully laying right out my front door. He took a snow shovel and launched it into the trees by our house...and it FLEW through the air...almost looking like it came back to life...then landed in the top of the tree perched completely upright! Poor birdie! Just as spring is "springing," he won't enjoy it this year. But hey, if I was a bird, I would probably much rather be "laid to rest" in the top of a tree where I belonged! You know what they say, all good things must come to an end! But that doesn't mean it can't be a good end. :-)

After his funeral "launching."

Wishing everyone a wonderful day!