What Of It?

There is a bird perched on a branch outside this window as I write.

Was perched, now gone, one sentence in.

What a cool winter scene. The bird was pecking at the branch it sat on.

I am a city boy. I do not know what this means.

It was a small bird, kind of cute. Cuteness that belies the majestic capability of flight.

What a powerful concept flight is, what an amazing sense of freedom it implies.

My gut says birds don't appreciate this anymore than humans appreciate the ability to walk or the fascinating utility of opposable thumbs.

Then again, anything in nature is smarter than anything in humanity.

Maybe the bird exults when it soars. Maybe it thinks consciously or feels subconsciously how very cool it is to cut through the air, negotiating wind, digging the sun, flying faster miles an hour.

Maybe it is like meditation to the bird, providing a sense of peace and calm.

The moment was: the bird sitting on the branch pecking, hard packed snow underneath reflecting nothing but cold do to the lack of the sun. A subtle wind, few leaves left stranded on the trees, occasional cars slipping by (much too fast on my rural road), squirrels in frenzied survival mode.

The bird did not give off any air of desperation or depression. It moved quickly and confidently.

Beautiful to see.

Are there levels of emotion in the animal kingdom? I sense moods in our cats sometimes. Maybe sadness, lethargy, maybe a touch of illness.

Also happiness, excitement, love both given and gratefully received.

Do birds get sad or lethargic or slowed down by illness? Or are they naturally happy to the exclusion of all other emotion, which is exactly how they come across.

And if so, what does that tell us about classes of animal society?

I'm getting carried away here. On purpose.

I am trying to write differently this year. Or trying to add a new dimension to any good style of writing I may have.

What I am trying to avoid is bad writing. Boring writing.

Unfortunately, forays like this into new perspectives will probably result in some horrible stuff until I master it.

Or abandon it for some other approach.

You probably think the above is nothing but drivel.

That's OK. It probably is.

At least I am trying something new.