As a dedicated wife and mother, it often feels like the people around me don’t take the time to truly see me. I mean, occasionally I get an eye roll, a scoffing grunt, or the hasty removal of one AirPod to feign listening, but no one is really taking notice of me. It’s lonely! However, in a recent moment of family-induced exasperation, I found myself looking skyward and some bird poop fell onto my arm. At that moment, I was reminded of the under-appreciated majesty and toil of our fine-feathered friends. They do so much more than just crap on windshields and arms, but do we ever really take notice? No! In that epiphany, I realized that the avian world totally and completely gets me.
Honestly, much like Narcissus caught a glimpse of himself in the placid waters of a sparkling lake and never looked away, my eyes now remain glued on the avian world. I feel completely seen by the birds and that feels completely great. For example:
The solitary and nocturnal owl chanting “Who, who, who?” into the void of a darkened sky. OMG, same! If it’s 2 AM — the only hour I can get any alone time — I’m roaming the house reciting “Who (didn’t flush the toilet?), who (put the empty milk carton back in the fridge?), who (scotch-taped this vase back together?), who (thinks I’m still hot?).
The crows gathered in a cacophony of futile cawing. Yes! Anything I say on any given day that isn’t a direct ego- or need-injection for my children or husband is merely rhetorical noise that gets sucked into the black hole between their ears. Caw!
The pigeon pecking at the ground, scraping together a meal from other people’s crumbs. Twins! I haven’t eaten anything besides already gnawed on chicken tender remnants or broken graham crackers in 26 months!
That sweet robin who built a side-nest behind the wreath on my front door. Her real nest was in the neighbor’s maple tree, but sister needed a small place to escape those noisy chicklets. Um, right?!? I’ve constructed a similar side-nest with my old power suits and maternity clothes in the basement utility closet. I go there to shove my face into a pillow and scream.
Any goose hissing at passersby. I feel SO seen with this one! A little plump, totally turned off by the idea of anyone getting close to me, and sort of angry at the world. Yessssssssss!
That lady hawk who was soaring peacefully when some dude hawk swooped in with his fluffy red tail feathers and started trying to tap her ass. Girlfriend screeched loud enough to rattle the windows of the houses down below and beat that man off of her. Please leave me be! It’s those sort of shenanigans that got us into this parenting mess in the first place!
