I was driving down the road coming from the grocery store the other day when suddenly there were quite a number of cars stopped. Was it an accident? Was there construction? Was someone trying to turn down a street or into a driveway? Nope. None of the above.
A wild turkey was in the middle of the road. Several of the flock she was part of were on the other side of the road in the woods pecking at the ground for food. My first reaction was all ego. How she was preventing me from getting to where I was heading! Thoughts ran in my mind about why the closest car didn’t get out and just “shoo” her across to the other side! Then, my spirit took over and I realized how self-centered I was being. I didn’t really have any where that I needed to be any time soon. I took a deep breath and then suddenly, the turkey came into full view as she had been hidden by the car closest to her.
She was absolutely breathtaking. Her full feathers were cropped out like a big puff ball and her tail was completely extended outward for full viewing. There were several bright colors she bore and I immediately felt compassion for her. What would it be like for me if several large vehicles were staring me down and I couldn’t see the rest of my friends on the other side? She continued to try to walk in one direction but with the impatience of drivers and their vehicles, they prolonged her reunion by cutting her off each time she would try to pass. Thus she was essentially going around in circles. Eventually she did made it across with I’m sure, a much calmer feeling within.
How much of life is like that for all of us? I know for me at times that when things are looming in front of me, staring me down, antagonizing me, or intimidating me, I can come out in full view. And while I don’t sport pretty feathers, what I show outwardly is a lot less attractive. I’m not sure anyone would feel safe and comfortable in the position the turkey was of being cut off from her friends and loved ones and having to fend for herself from foreign objects with loud engines in front of her.
Sometimes I wish all of us in this world would practice just a little more patience. All I can do is my part and I know that the next time I am seeing something try to cross the road and I’m closest, I know that I will wait patiently for it to get to the others side before I move forward and create more confusion and problems for it.
So why did the wild turkey cross the road anyway…? To prove she wasn’t a chicken… Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha….
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
