Blue Birds and the Fat Cat

 

"One can't teach a cat not to catch birds." 

Albert Einstein

Today was designated as my silent retreat.  Everyone was going to be gone for the entire day and I would be blessed with solitude.  Out on the back deck, I watched the birds come to feed. My most favorite was the strikingly blue bird with an orange belly.  Just yesterday I learned our neighbor had a bird house with blue birds nesting.  All was right within my world.

Sudden movement on my left and  curiosity pulled my eyes to the neighbor's yard.  There hanging on the fence was their fat gray cat, pawing into the bird house.  Two blue birds were frantically dive bombing at the cat to no avail.  I over reacted by slamming my book down which startled the birds away and the cat jumped from the fence.  The blue birds and the sweetness of baby birds nesting had become a symbol of peace and calm in this uncertain world. I felt my heart hurting.

There should not be judgment of the cat's natural instincts, nor should the fallen boundaries of small birds be dismissed.  This seems reflective of the world I live in ... I do not want to judge anyone, but what of the destroyed nests?  The fat cat sits licking his paws and the blue birds are no where to be seen.