Webster

Sara Bareilles is very wise in saying “I still count on one hand the number of good men I know.” Well Sara, I can count on one shop teacher’s hand the number of good men I know and two of those men are animals. It’s not that I am one of those man-hating women, I get along just fine with men. The problem is that many men and women lack the ability to be humble. There is one man I know though who humble, intelligent, and never complains about a thing. This man, is my bird Webster.

Webster came to live with us many years ago and the way we found him was quite incredible. My family and I were on our way out for the evening when we noticed something in the road outside our house. My mom stopped the van and when my brother and I jumped out, we realized that this “something” was really a bird. Now normally a bird in the street is not an unnatural thing, but when that bird is a cockatiel, that changes the story a bit. We figured there was no way we were going to be able to wrangle this beautiful yellow bird to safety and just as we tried to pick him up, he jumped right up on my brother’s finger. We brought him in the house and he spent his first night with us in a cat carrier. From the very beginning, we knew he was a special bird.

Now, Webster has been through so much with us. He has had some hardships of his own and through it all, he always has a smile on his face. He has known three different cats and five different fish and he has loved all of them. Even now when his cat seems to be first on the totem pole and he is often last, he is always patient and always kind. He knows that he will be taken care of and that if someone else needs the attention first, then he can handle getting the attention last.

Webster can ring the bell in his cage like no other, has the ability to say “kitty, kitty, kitty” and “I love you,” and is quite handsome, but the most amazing thing about Webster is that he is a kind soul. I can chat with him for just a little while and I am immediately calmed by his presence. Yes, he is a bird and I know there are many people out there who might disagree with me, but it doesn’t matter what body your soul may reside in but it does matter how your soul resides in the world.