Never, no never, did nature say one thing and wisdom say another. (Edmund Burke)
Heading to Wichita years ago for a Sunday dinner with my husband’s parents, a stiff breeze buffeted our car.
“Look out for that bird!” I yelled. “Why do they do that?”
“Do what?” Craig asked from the driver’s seat.
“Fly at the car. You know, when we’re driving along, it seems like most of the birds sitting on the roadside wait until we’re almost there and then jump into our path. Haven’t you noticed? That last one was a close call.”
“You’ve heard of bird brains, haven’t you?”
“Very funny. Well then, why don’t half of them fly the other way? No wonder so many birds get hit by cars.”
“There’s another reason.”
“What’s that?”
“The wind. It depends what direction the wind is blowing. Watch. There are a couple of meadowlarks up on the crest of the next hill. They will jump into the wind—right at us—to get airborne.”
I studied the larks as we approached. Sure enough, just before we achieved the crest, they each leapt directly into the path of our car. They swerved sharply and fluttered to the north, over a dormant winter pasture.
“Why not just fly away from the car to begin with?”
“They get lift a lot faster if they jump into the wind,” he said.
“Really? You mean they couldn’t fly if they didn’t meet the wind head-on?”
“Pretty much. It probably depends on wind velocity. I think if the wind isn’t too strong, they could take off with a breeze, but it would take more effort to get airborne going with the wind. You see how they turn and go with the wind once they get in the air?”
We watched another pair of meadowlarks follow the same pattern.
“They know they can get up faster heading into the wind, and if the wind is too strong they won’t get lift unless they face into it,” he said.
~~
Since the inauguration of #47, I have felt like one of those larks. A barrage of insane and appalling executive orders sweeps from the White House with category 5 hurricane force, devastating every state in the union regardless of geographic location or political leaning. I don’t know how to begin to resist the devastation, or even to absorb all the news. You may feel the same way. But unless we get out there to face the onslaught and jump headlong into the gale force winds, we’re sunk. In whatever way each of us can manage, we need to launch against the wind of insanity and rise above it to soar toward a better future. Don’t run. Don’t hide. Don’t ignore the news. Instead, rise up and ride on the wings of the wind. It will make a difference for our future.
The Bridge 