Ironic

OK -- I didn't really expect to be making another post today, but something happened this afternoon that just seemed very ironic in light of what I wrote earlier.

I was driving home from taking Anna to the gym, coming down Taylor road and talking to my dad on the cell phone. Up ahead, I saw a bird sitting in the road -- in the turn lane that I needed to get in to. Well, you know that as cars approach, birds ALWAYS fly away, right? Well, I got closer and closer and.... the bird wasn't moving. At the last minute, when in a split second it became clear that this bird wasn't going to fly away, I swerved a bit in an attempt to miss it. I heard a 'thump' and looked in my rear view mirror to see... yeah... the remains of a bird that now looked more like a pancake. :-( I couldn't believe that I had just run over a bird, of all things! That's a first for me. I've hit a opossum before, but you know, they're a bit slow and confused -- birds aren't supposed to get run over by cars!

Anyways, for some reason, I carried right on in the conversation with my dad and didn't even tell him what had happened... I think I was just stunned. It took me a minute to process the whole thing. But I felt really bad. I hate killing things.... even bugs and stuff. Unless, of course, they're like termites or something invading your home and getting in your space -- now that's a different story! ;-)

But as I was thinking about how strange it was that this bird just sort-of sat there and got run over, I thought of the poem and it's symbolism of hope being like a bird. And honestly, as much as I do believe what I posted earlier about hope, I had to laugh a little at the reality of some days where it feels like 'hope' just gets absolutely flattened by a speeding car... that happens sometimes.

So that's my rather morbid 'rest of the story.' I'll end now with my apologies to the poor bird and anyone reading who has a soft spot for animals...