birds, confidence, and a small introduction

The strangeness, the wonder, and the beauty of this world exist everywhere. In front of us, behind us, and all around us whimsy goes unnoticed or under appreciated.

Did you know there are brilliantly colored, tiny creatures that fly around in a sky we dream of soaring through? Did you know they sing melodies that our greatest songwriters exhaust themselves trying recreate? I bet you’ve seen them hopping around. I bet you’ve closed your window in the morning to block out the sound so you could sleep in.

Birds are intensely bizarre creatures, and little curiosities like these are one of my passions. Writing and drawing are my other two. To me, the world looks silly and strange, and I can’t help but try to open some eyes and minds to how curious our world can be.

This past week, I went to a work party with an acquaintance of mine. She worked in the military, doing paperwork and was a strong, confident girl. She was quite comfortable greeting every person she passed, asking generic questions about their life, and approaching strangers with introductions, something I am far to shy to successfully accomplish.

Toward the end of the night, she introduced herself to a couple that had just been transferred here. The man had spent fifty years in the military, which intrigued my friend for different reasons than it intrigued me. She began to question him as to what rank he was, and he wanted her to guess.

Finally, after much work on her part, he admitted he was a colonel. At this, my friend’s entire demeanor changed. She looked like a young girl with her first crush, giggling and twisting on the spot, fidgeting and twirling her hair between her fingers.

She said colonels intimidated her. Though it was obvious he had no intention of giving her orders at this party, she still lost her composure.

As a writer, I can’t help but observe all of the strange things people do, and take lots of notes. Why would such a confident person be so dramatically influenced by another person that they become the exact opposite of what they are?

How curious!