I don't frequently blog personal things about my human loved ones out of respect for their privacy, however, with permission, I had to share these photos of my significant other with a little bird he saved from an untimely death under some car wheels. This is the 2nd little bird he's taken from harm's way in a week - they seem to be hitting windows and getting stunned and then freezing in very inconvenient locations - like public driveways. I've always called my significant other the male Snow White because animals love him and just go to him. This little bird voluntarily stepped into his offered hand and then hung out on his arm as he went into our building, up the elevator and into our apartment. I thought the bird couldn't fly and had somehow been injured but no, s/he just really trusted my significant other. When I offered the bird a cardboard shoe box (opened; no cover) with padding and some water and (organic! Sprouted! Raw!) pumpkin seeds, the bird turned up her/his little beak at me and flew away, showing s/he was perfectly capable of flight and maybe just needed that respite to warm up and relax on my significant other's arm. I saw another person I know post photos showing a loved one posed above a broken, bleeding animal who he had shot as a trophy. That is so not me and it motivated this post because I wanted to show pride in actions of compassion and love instead. What I love about my husband is exactly the opposite - he would never kill for fun or find joy in taking life or happiness from any other being. He's the guy who collects struggling bees from swimming pools and dries them off in the sun and makes sure they can fly away alright. He's the guy who went vegan after growing up loving southern BBQ and beef brisket because I shared with him what the animals in the food industry go through. He's the guy who wild animals will approach and hang with, like they somehow know intrinsically that he is kind and safe and good. And lest you be under the impression that kindness is weakness (it's exactly the opposite - it takes a lot more strength and courage to be kind than cruel or selfish), his kindness doesn't stop at animals. It's humans, too. We met in school and I liked him but I thought he was just another former fraternity boy (no judgment! I was in a sorority). Then, one week, he vanished. Didn't show up for any classes. The next week, he was back in class like nothing had happened and only after being repeatedly questioned, did he reluctantly volunteer what had happened: a group he belonged to in undergrad had sent out a newsletter mailing with a cover photo showing a confederate flag adorning their edifice. He packed a bag and traveled back to his undergrad, met with the group at a meeting they were having to discuss general business and raised his objection to the flag's display. He said the flag symbolized racism, cruelty, barbarity, slavery, rape, murder. He said it signified the things he was ashamed of, not proud of, in his southern heritage and therefore should not be celebrated but rather used as a cautionary historical lesson. When he told this story, I remember asking, "Weren't you scared? What if they attacked you?" He was like, "What? They'd never do that. They just didn't understand. They listened and we talked and they apologized and took the flag down. I hung out with them a few days and then I came back." No drama. No showing off. No fist fight. No social media. Just doing the right thing, quietly, because it was the right thing to do. That's when, stunned by his story, I decided, "OK, I'm going to marry this guy." He has this rare ability to take people and animals as they are, without judgment. He'll kick back with liberals and conservatives, hunters and vegans, absurdly wealthy people and people who live in public housing. He'll rescue goofy little birds and once untangled an angry sheep from a barbed wire fence he saw him stuck in. He just takes everyone as they are. My favorite thing about him isn't just his limitless love, but his ability to believe in the limitless love of others.
RSS Feed
