Often times we are so consumed by what we see in others that we totally forget the uniqueness of our own Identity.
"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”
― Marilyn Monroe
It was a sunny day at the beach, we decided to have a picnic since the week had been hectic and frankly we needed the time off! In the midst of all the activities taking place, kids running around by the beach shore, people playing volleyball, birds gliding and landing on the sand, my eye caught this bird. An Orange beaked Seagull (Heermann's Gull). It was different!
At first, I didn't notice, but upon further examination I realized something. Something that made this Gull stand out from the others, it was standing on one leg! I mean literarily, it had just one foot.
As I continued watching this bird with much interest, I knew it must have gone through a lot in its life to have lost a foot—probably to a predator or even a prey— I felt sad for it.
But then I realized the bird acted normal. It still played and hustled for food with other two-legged birds.
I then spotted another Gull, it was white and looked elegant. If they had ranks on the beach this Gull would probably be the Queen. It passed by the one-legged Gull and immediately it felt like the one-legged Gull was the serf and she was the overlord. But then, they continued to hustle for food thrown to them by people.
I began to think of how different things were in the relationship between the animal kingdom and the human race. How easy it is for us humans to idolize others who seem to have more than we do or who show the appearance of elegance, fame, and glory that we lose the essence of our existence. At that moment, all I could see were birds on the beach trying to survive. No jealousy or envy, no superior, no inferior, no minority or majority ranking, just birds.
I could see this bird feeling confident in itself despite what it must have been through to end up with one leg.
