This is My Life

This is my life. I am an odd person. I say that but I know it is not true. I feel odd. I know that is a common feeling. Talk to a bunch of people. They will all tell you that they are odd in some fashion. It all goes back to the old question 'What is odd? What is normal?'

Everyone lives very different lives but the feelings we share are all the same...happiness, sadness, disappointment, fulfillment, pride, embarrassment and so on.

Today, I am saying I am odd because yesterday I was sick. That is not odd, you say. I agree, it isn't. It is somewhat unusual for me. Normally, I am a very hardy soul. I fight through illness. It is rare when I am completely side-lined. I was more than side-lined yesterday. I was benched, sent to the locker room, down for the count. The only illness that can incapacitate me this way must be stomach related. I can work through anything else...a raging fever, a massive headache anything else but not stomach woes. In those instances, I have to lie down usually in the bathroom trying not to move at all. Trying desperately not think about my waves of nausea. That was me yesterday. After I was stricken with my malady, I had my mile trek out to my car. I could have asked my manager to go get my car for me. I should have in retrospect. He gladly would have but I was being strong, see? That is me. I repeated to myself as I put one foot in front of the other, staggering weakly to my car "I am not sick. I am not sick. I am not sick." Finally, I arrived at my vehicle and fell into the driver's seat wondering how I could possibly make a 30 minute drive to my house but knowing that I would regardless of the consequences.

I sat there 'girding my loins' as they say trying to muster the strength to turn the key, to turn my head to back out when I spied a bird! A bird in desperation no less. I kicked myself as I said to myself 'and I thought I was having a bad day'. This bird had somehow entangled himself in the high line wires and was dangling upside down by one foot like a bat would do. In fact, the thought occurred to me "Is that a bat?". No, it was a bird. Periodically, he would gather all of his strength and frantically attempt to free himself. My mind was no longer on my ailing tummy. It was on that bird! I thought for awhile wondering what I could do for him/her. What if it was a she? What if she had a nest of young ones waiting for her return? I had to do something.

 I know you are thinking about me by now even if you were not before 'yeah, she is odd! No, she is just flat out a lunatic'.

I was sick, remember? I thought about getting a ladder. I thought about calling the fire department. But I just sat there like a bump on a stump and prayed. Yes, I prayed for a bird. My prayer went something like this "God, I don't care that I am sick. You can let me die if you can only help one of us. I won't even pray for myself but would you please help that bird?" I just kept praying that over and over for at least 10 minutes. At this point, the bird was dangling in a fashion that appeared as if  life had long left it. I thought to myself. "Well, hell! Another unanswered prayer!" when all of a sudden that bird just flew into a flurry of activity. It tried to free itself by coming at the wire from another direction and guess what? It worked!! The bird flew away!!!!! IT.FLEW.AWAY! All I have is gratitude now. Thank you God for answering my prayer. You helped two of us by doing that. You freed the bird. You helped me know you were listening.

Am I odd for praying for a bird? At first blush, it seems weird yet I know many, many people who would have done exactly the same thing.

Oh yeah, here are some more wedding pix. Scanned polaroids. We are a family of entertainers. Yes, we are.