What Would You Do?

I was in a pretty good mood the other day. It was finally sunny out and I decided to go for a walk downtown.

I was listening to some music on my iPod, soaking up the sun.

I see a bird on the sidewalk. It looks like it's a young seagull. Still has its fuzzy head with brown and white speckles of feathers. It was balancing on one leg and had one wing hanging close to the ground. It was injured.

What do I do now? I can't just walk on by and pretend I didn't see an injured animal in need of help. I watched the bird for a while, hopping along on one foot, chirping with its young voice.

I called 411 and got the number for an animal shelter. They gave me the police department which deals with animal control issues. The police man I spoke with was not very friendly or helpful. He asked what kind of bird it was and then I could tell that I was just wasting his time. He said the animal control person was dealing with a dog and didn't know when they would be back. I asked if there were any bird rescue places I could call and his reply was "Not for seagulls".

I was standing in the hot humid sun, watching this bird, trying to decide what next to do.

When I got close to the bird I would hear the adult seagulls yelling at me from above. There were probably a dozen seagulls on the roof of the building I was next to. They were looking down at me and the injured bird. I guessed that the bird must have fallen out of his nest and injured itself, or maybe he thought he was ready to fly and couldn't manage it?

I then thought I'd try and get some food or crackers or something for it. The only thing open nearby was a book store that specialized in cookbooks and books about food but no food for sale. The owner was very nice. He said he'd seen the bird the day before and went to give him some water. When he put the water dish down the other birds from above came swooping down on him. I asked if he had a box that I could try and put the bird in, at least keep him from walking on the injured leg too much. If the animal control people did show up they could use the box to carry it in. The bookstore owner taped up the sides of the box and also gave me some water in a plastic container.

When I approached the bird it got really freaked out. It started to hobble away as fast as it could and then the birds above me were yelling up a storm.

I knew the box idea was not a good one. I didn't want to upset the bird and possibly cause more injury to it. I also didn't feel like getting attacked by seagulls.

It pained me to do it, but I walked away. I told the man at the bookstore that I couldn't help the bird and he said he'd let the animal control person know (if they showed) where it was.

I finished my walk and went home.

If the bird had been a hawk or eagle or a bird near extinction, there would be some place that could help the bird, but because it was a seagull, no one cared.

Why is it that certain species get all the attention and others don't?

I watched people walk by the bird, looking down at it, maybe pausing for a second, visibly upset by the pitiful scene, then kept walking.

If it had been a cat or dog limping around, people would have acted sooner, i'm sure of it.

Who am I to judge when I couldn't follow through with helping the bird? Maybe it was the birds' journey to go through that fall? Who knows for sure.

When most people see pigeons, seagulls, small birds, or squirrels injured, they think nothing of it.

I lived down south for a bit and I remember being so disturbed by how much "road kill" there was there. It was very common to see several possums, skunks, or animals from the rodent family killed on the road daily.

I suppose if you are used to seeing something every day, it becomes common place.

I still get upset when I see animals dead on the road. No matter what species it is.

All life matters.....well, maybe not mosquitoes......ok....even mosquitoes I suppose.

This experience just got me thinking about how we as humans put a kind of value on certain species. Like that police officer said.... "Not for seagulls".

I went by the same place the next day and there was no sign of the injured bird. I really hope the animal control officer DID come by and maybe it's getting the help it needs. Or maybe.....I don't want to think about the other option. I choose to think it's getting help.

...more on MJ

I didn't expect to be thinking so much about MJ's passing but I have.

I was speaking with my friend this morning and we tried to remember the last time a universally known celebrity died. When was the last time the world mourned for someone?

When Diana died there was huge response. If you think about the last big musical celebrity that died I'd have to go back to John Lennon and then Elvis. Sure there was Kurt Cobain but his life ended way too soon. He wasn't known all over the world like MJ was. My friend said "Its' like our generations' Elvis".

I mentioned in my previous post the obvious music and video explosion that MJ had influenced but what about his dance moves and fashion?

There's the moonwalk and the pelvis gyrations. ( I could have done without those personally) MJ was influenced by Elvis and James Brown for sure, but he also had his own moves.

Then theres the one sparkly glove and mirrored sunglasses that turned to just dark sunglasses. The red leather jacket with studs on it. Even his hairstyle was copied.

MJ had so much influence, more than I imagined.

I'm finding myself listening to his songs. I downloaded 6 songs that I like. One of my favorite is "Dirty Diana". Sure the Jackson Five was amazing and talented and had some great hits, but they weren't from my generation. I don't relate to those songs. I can listen to the Thriller album or the Bad album and remember the 80's. The videos and styles.

I wonder about his kids. What are they like? Will they reveal years from now who MJ really was? What was he like as a father? Curious.

I also wonder if Michael Jackson is looking at all the outpouring of love and smiling his child like grin.

Reflection

So, another huge music celebrity has passed. Michael Jackson was quite the interesting person from what I've seen and heard of him. I loved his Thriller album when it first came out. I really really loved the videos. I was of the age to appreciate the new t.v. show called MTV and with MJ's videos it made it that much cooler. I think my favorite is "BAD" when they are dancing in the subway station. I couldn't help but be hypnotized by him. My eyes wouldn't move off of him at all. There was something about him that you just couldn't ignore, no matter how hard you tried.

As a person, well....I'm sure there are so many judgments about him. We as outsiders really didn't know much. We only got what the media told us. I wanted to assume that he had molested those boys and was mistreating his kids but do I really know that? No. He had some very strange behavior, but what if he was just a big kid in an adults body? If a child did the things he did, people may have forgiven him easier. What if the alleged abuse from his father really distorted him and he was just doing the best he could? We'll probably never know what was really going on in his mind.

So, what I wanted to do was to appreciate Michael Jackson for his music and the major contributions he gave to the music industry and video industry.

There is also the passing of Farrah Fawcett. She was a fellow cancer survivor and what the survivor she was! From what I've heard about her video documentation of her journey, she didn't give up for anything.

There are many people dying every day. When someone famous dies it causes people to stop and reflect.

RIP MJ and FF!

Reading Minds

I was thinking about how it would be so amazing to have a device that could read minds. This one would be different than being a telepathic reader. This device would be hooked up to your head, and when you are thinking, the device would transcribe the words onto a screen. You could see all that you were thinking. I bet there would be some scary results, especially from my brain.

What if you could hook up the device at night when sleeping and the images would be put onto a DVD, all your dreams would be recorded like a movie that you could watch the next day. I'd love to see my dreams and maybe analyze them from a Jungian point of view. Some would be scary for sure but wow, wouldn't that be incredible?

I've always been intrigued by what the mind can do. Experts say we only use a small part of our brain. Most people anyway. Why is that? Why haven't we been able to open up the other parts of our brain and explore the other possibilities?

What about hypnosis? How does that work? How can you tap into the past part of the brain and retrieve information that doesn't seem to want to be consciously known?

What if there is a future part of our brain that everyone has the ability to tap into and we just don't have the ability to do so? Similar to Mediums who can see the future or know things that others can't.

I've been wanting to write again. I would like to try to put my crazy thoughts into some kind of comprehensible order.

Maybe I'll take a hypnosis training course?

My mind could be opened up to all kinds of possibilities.

Sounds

Side effects, what a joy!

I've been experiencing some side effects and I at first thought maybe it was due to lack of sleep but i'm thinking now it could be medication related.

My left eyelid has been twitching. It's not unusual to have an eye twitch off and on especially if a person is stressed out or over tired. This eye twitching isn't going away. Its not 24 hours a day but its every day. It can be quite annoying when you want to read a book or do Sudoku as i've been doing lately. It's almost like when you hear a sound that continues on and on. A bit crazy making.

I have also been dealing with some shoulder pain that doesnt seem to want to go away either.

I try not to go immediately to "the cancers' back!" place, but it's a challenge.

I saw this interesting movie the other day called "Seagulls Laughter". Its a foreign film. Icelandic language with English subtitles. Have you ever heard Icelandic? What an interesting sounding language. The tones used along with the expressions was so interesting to me. I've seen probably 10o's of foreign films in my lifetime and so i'm used to many different languages but i'm not sure i've seen an Icelandic one. I highly recommend it. If anything, just to listen.

I'm finding sounds to be a focus for me for some reason, lately.

I'm noticing sounds all around me. Its funny because I have a hearing loss in my left ear, so you'd think I wouldn't notice sounds as much.

I went to the local beach near me on Friday. I closed my eyes and just listened to all the sounds around me. Kids playing in the water. Dogs splashing after sticks. People rollerblading or riding their bikes. Many types of birds. Cars parking. Tug boats transporting cars to the local islands.

The most calming sound is of the ocean waves. So cliche' but i've always loved it. Even as a child I would go to the ocean when I was upset about something. Usually teenage angst over a boy. I would always feel so much better on my walk home.

I picked some dandelions and put them in a vase. They are considered weeds and dont last but a day or so, but they are still pretty. Their bright yellow is welcoming to the eyes after a dark winter.

So, side effects or not, things are pretty well for me right now. Its spring and there are so many sounds to help distract when the physical pains are annoying.

Sunrise Memories

I haven't been sleeping all too well lately.

This morning I was up at around 5:30am. I watched the sun rise with all its fiery colors. A memory came to me of when I used to work for a baking company. I had to be there very very early. I would walk to work every morning when the streets were quiet. I loved that walk. It was a great way to start my day. I would protest getting up so early but in the end I loved it. Walking into the bakery and greeting the sleepy bakers who have been there for a few hours by that time. The smells of freshly baked bread and pastries filled my nostrils. I would start the coffee pots and organize my post as customer service person.

I have memories of enjoying a warm just out of the oven brioche roll or a scone. Once in a while, and I mean once in a while...I would enjoy a sticky bun, called Morning Buns. They were deadly but tasty.

I would be out of work by 2 or 3pm and have all the time in the world to enjoy the day. When it was summer time it really made a difference. I felt I still had a good portion of the day left.

All of this came to me this morning by looking at the sunrise.

I posted a picture from a May Pole celebration, Beltane ritual, on a popular beach in Maine, this past Sunday. It was cold but still a pretty good time.

I've been having a rough week emotionally. Maybe it's the time of year? Spring time brings up all my insecurities. Not having a partner, not having children.....Spring and Beltane is about fertility and creation. Love and Joy.

The Beltane ritual highlighted my losses and what i'm lacking in my life. There were lots of children and families there. Lovely to see the kids dancing and making sand castles.

I AM happy for all my friends and family who have their own little family and relationships, I really am. It just feels like someone turned on a spotlight thats blinding me and forcing my loneliness out to the surface.

Summer is on the way....I think of Summer as a time for single people.

Can someone just turn down the lights a little?

Goodbye Ruby

I got some very sad news today that my favorite dog in the world had to be put to sleep today. She was not in good shape due to an ear virus of some sort and it was the humane thing to do. She was getting up there in age and i'm sure it was harder for her to fight off the virus that was attacking her. Now she is in peace.

Her name was Ruby and I first met her when I lived in NYC when my brother adopted her. We had many wonderful walks together and a moment of fear that was an experience I feel bonded us in some way. We witnessed a man abusing a small dog and both of us were screaming at him till he ran into his apartment. Ruby didn't bark much at all so when she freaked out like that I knew it was serious. I just wish I could have rescued the small dog.

Ruby was then adopted by my wonderful step brother and his wife. They have loved Ruby for many many years. Every time I would see Ruby, even if it was many months since i'd seen her, she would make this whining noise of excitement, she did this with a few people. I was honored that she even remembered me after long periods of not seeing her. Everyone that met Ruby fell in love with her immediately. She had such a gentle soul and an enormous heart.

I'll miss you Ruby!