Watch Your Happy Bird Songs

I once heard a story about a bird in the tropics of West Africa. One day it told its friends, "I'm flying up north to wherever my course may lead. The bird whinged, "I'm getting too old; I have never had a real adventure or experienced something different in my life.". Other birds counselled, "Don't go to an unknown destination. How are you sure things aren't going to be worse over there?"

Against its friends' advice, it left the known shore for the unknown. Wings flutter, flying on the south winds, with frequent stops here and there to rest and scavenge for food, days gone by, and many beautiful sights to behold.

After ten days on its course, the weather changed: it started to rain, and the bird was freezing to death. As it flew, ice formed on its wings; its wings got frozen, and it couldn't flap its wings anymore. Suddenly it crash-landed into an old barnyard in Norway, shivering and waiting for death. Since it's not used to snow, being a tropical bird, adaptation was hard, and death was imminent.

There in the barnyard was an old cow. The cow walked past and dropped a big plop of "manure" (sh*t) on the dying bird. The bird was furious and disgusted. "What the heck?" it screamed. "If I must die, should it be in this terrible state?" While muttering profanity at the old cow, it suddenly realised the ice on its wings had melted and its body was beginning to warm up.

With a shout of excitement, without even removing the cow's plop of "manure," the bird began to shout and jubilate, singing a happy bird song, "I'm gonna live!" "I'm alive," and it went on and on.

At that moment, a ferocious barnyard cat was passing by and it heard the happy bird songs. The cat moved closer, took off the cow's manure from the bird and ate the bird. Sad, right? There are morals to this story:

1. There's always a challenge in a new environment. Prepare ahead and do your research before heading to a new destination.

2. Not everyone who dropped a plop or a "sh*t" on you is your enemy.

3. Not everyone who took them off is your friend.

4. If someone drops a plop on you, keep your mouth shut, wash it off, and move on.

5. If a plop works for your good or makes you warm, keep your mouth shut, because not everyone is happy with your blessings.

(c) Mike Olu Akinlabi, PhD