Soar

Crows are a funny lot.  I was watching ours walk around the yard today.  I call them ours, but they are as much ours as fly in fly out birds can be.  Anyway, they have a weird gait.
It seems it is not just crows, but many birds in general.    I particularly notice their walk when I am driving the car and they are in the road.  Their pace invariable increases as I approach.  It is only when I am just about on top of them that they fly away.  This is despite my having checked there is no traffic behind me and slowed down.  I am not out to run them over.  What I can’t believe though is how long they leave it till they get out of the way.
Unlike my dad who I said to “dad, there is a bird on the road!”  He said, “these ones have a special way of getting under the car.”  When we had passed it, I looked back and there was the bird sprawled on the road.  Yeah right dad.
Plovers scurry out the way, but in my experience it is the doves that leave it the longest.  Sure, they know I am coming and represent danger, but it is like they are playing a game of dare with me.  Possible not a good idea with something as big as a car.  So often it seems it is so close.
I think “you have wings, use em.”  But this morning I was thinking about birds and their wings.  It is great they can soar, and they make great photo’s.  As a human I would like to be able to fly, but being scared of heights would probably mean I kept pretty close to the ground.
But it occurred to me that although birds have wings, they spend most of their time on their feet.  I reckon I’m like that.  I spend time soaring but most of the time I am on my feet.
I sometimes do things I did not know I was capable of.  It’s like it all comes together.  I was bowling in cricket one time and noticed the batsman had been hitting the ball in the air to a spot.  So I moved a fielder to that spot.  The very next ball the batsman hit the ball in the air to the fielder and was caught out.  Another time I was bowling to an A Grade batsman.  I thought “this ball I will pitch right up and bowl faster.”  His wickets went flying.  He was surprised, but not as surprised as me.
In those moments I was soaring, but I did not mention how most the time the ball was blocked or put away.  In those times I was on my feet.
I reckon that applies to heaps of things for me.  Most time is spent on my feet doing everyday stuff.  But time on my feet need not be wasted time.  I find that using the time on my feet wisely, prepares me for the times I soar.