Unexpected Rewards

“Be ready to be surprised.” ~ Loesje

A long time ago, I read somewhere that one should start the day by asking to witness a small miracle unfold when they go out into the world. Being the eternal optimist, I approach each day with the same expectations of a child on Christmas Eve - good things will come as long as I believe they will.

Yesterday began like an ordinary day; after I dropped my daughter off, I headed to my son’s high-school, where every Thursday I volunteer at the library. As I drove, I noticed a trash bag on the road in the lane beside mine, and as I passed it, I thought I saw the bag move.

I passed it and got to the light, but all of a sudden I wondered if anything alive was inside of it and I decided to turn around. I parked my car on a side street and walked back on the main road toward the bag, a bit apprehensive at the thought of what I would find in it. I picked it up from the road and took it to the sidewalk – by then I was pretty sure it was just trash, but I moved it nonetheless so that a car wouldn’t hit it.

I left the bag on the sidewalk and went back to my car. As soon as I turned into the side street, I saw a large black bird – a crow, I believe – flying low and holding something in its beak. When it saw me approaching, it flew on a nearby branch, still holding tight to the loot. I didn’t think much of it and got inside the car. While I was ready to start the engine, I saw the black bird land in a yard, still holding the food in its beak, and slowly hop toward a bush. Another bird – visibly injured - came out from under the bush and hopped painfully until the other bird dropped the food it had been holding in front of it and flew away; the injured bird picked up the morsel and hopped back under the protective cover of the bush.

I sat in my car and watched in awe. If I hadn’t stopped to move the trash bag, and parked my car right there, I would have missed out on the chance to see this act of random kindness. What appeared as a nuisance, especially since I was already late, turned out to be an unforeseen moment of sheer inspiration.

I drove away and went to the library, and the rest of the day I felt blessed by that one small occurrence. I’m certainly not implying that every single bothersome event hides a joyful moment, but sometimes good things just happen, and unless we are open to embrace the unexpected, we might miss them altogether.

I got to the library ten minutes later than I had planned, but I was in such a cheerful mood that I got a lot of work accomplished anyway. I don’t know what was wrong with the bird on the ground, and I’m not sure of what type of connection it had with the bird that came to feed it, but I do know one thing for certain – small miracles do manifest if one is willing to see them.

The Kitten and The Crow

Since early childhood, we are conditioned to classify everything we run across, especially people we meet on our journey. Although some of us benefit from an upbringing which allows a few shades of gray in between, the majority are most often inclined toward a much defined distinction.

We are taught that some people are our friends, and others are enemies; some are good and some are evil; many are worthy of receiving our trust and just as many are not. Our judgment of individuals and situations is often based on criteria we have inherited from our caregivers, tossed with a sprinkle of personal experiences.

Would our reaction be the same, had we been taught differently? Could we be more willing to trust some that don’t readily fit into our mold of acceptance, if we hadn’t been trained to immediately qualify and quantify those we meet? Is our tolerance for others dictated by nature, or is it a product of nurture?

A very unusual couple of friends – a kitten and a young crow – teach us that it is possible to trust and love someone we would normally consider an enemy. The following video is a bit lengthy, but definitely worth watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JiJzqXxgxo

I would assume that when their paths first crossed, the crow and the kitten were both lost and uncertain how to feel – each of them was a blank board. Since neither could rely on the guidance of an adult of their species, they followed their natural instincts in judging one another.

Each of them was naturally geared to have quite dissimilar lives and needs, yet, without a teacher pushing them to focus on their differences, they were able to establish a common denominator: their individual need for love and nurturing common to all species.

It is possible to rise above pre-set standards and see that blessings can be found in the most unexpected of places. Inside each enemy lives a potential friend we haven’t met yet, if we can just look past the obvious and “see” with our hearts. The kitten and the crow would certainly vouch for that.