Featured image: Coffee With a Little Yellow Bird At The Bird Bath
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a yellow bird land on the edge of the cobalt blue bird bath. It pecks at the water, looks over at me and asks, I imagine, “Actually, well, what are you going to do about it?”
Then more birds came and did the same thing. I tried to ignore them and finish my morning coffee. There were about 15 birds there at the bird bath, now desperately trying to get some water. Peck, peck, pecking at the hard ice in the bath. Man, do I feel the pressure or what!
It's the feeling you get when you give in to the begging, and you tell your daughter she can go to the grocery store with you. Guilt. It takes twice as long to go grocery shopping with her. She puts things in the basket that she likes and I put them back telling her that they aren’t good for her, not enough nutrition. Then, as we are waiting in line to check out, she meanders over to the “catch me” things. McDonalds learned from this behavior quickly. They started making happy meals and putting little toys in the very special box the lunch comes in. As an aside, I started eating happy meals lately. There isn’t so much food there, and there are apple slices, so McDonalds listened to moms and dads too.
Anyway, back at the checkout lane when she thinks I am not looking at her, she slowly drops a little toy - that tiny little doll with long hair and glitter and a pink dress. I look at her sternly. “Put it back,” I say. Head down, droopy eyes, shoulders sagging, “ Please mom, I will….”
Back to the birds, guess who wins, hint it isn’t me. I get up, get the hose, turn on hot water to the ice in the bird bath, and refill the bird bath with warm water. Such a soft touch I am, everyone knows it, even the birds.
