I don't know about you, but where I live, flocks of just about every bird that waddles about is on the move these days. Large clusters can be seen everywhere and often are in either unwelcome or inhospitable places.
The flock of seventeen wild turkeys that I have been complaining about is still meandering through the common backyards of my condo association. The number has not changed over the past two weeks. They haven't lost any to blunderbusses.....yet. These birds roost nightly in trees directly behind our unit and then meander about during the day, being way too comfortable lounging about on lower deck patios and feeling secure enough to strut up stairs and check out upper decks. I do my best to imitate an Australian Shepherd dog but they still return, day after day after day.
It is also not uncommon to encounter large turkey flocks on major country highways. The birds seem oblivious to the danger that they are in as they saunter across two or four-lanes-plus-a-median of traffic. It is a wonder that vehicles do, or are able to, slow down, even coming to complete stops to wait for the dumb fowl to traverse from one side of the road to the other.
Today I was driving on a normally very busy four-lane-with-median roadway and came upon a huge gaggle of geese that had commandeered my side of the highway. Fortunately for the geese, mine was the only vehicle within a half of a mile. I came to a complete halt and blasted my horn for several seconds, finally getting their attention. Did they pick up their pace? Not much. Maybe I noted a bit more hastiness in their webbed feet, but for the most part they just continued on as they were. As my lane cleared, I moved forward and when the vehicle behind me came upon the birds, they had completely cleared to the edge of the highway. Lucky birds.
Thusly, I began thinking about how we humans are a bit like the turkeys and geese. We hang as a group, taking our sweet time to meander through whatever project or situation we find ourselves in, at times oblivious to what is happening around us. We begin thinking more as a group member than the individuals we really are.
Birds of a feather may flock together but let's all think for ourselves. Let us not wait until the horn is blaring in our ears before picking up the pace a bit.
Ancora imparo
