Pigeon Poo

A couple days ago, I was walking in the New York City winter sunshine, when I paused to wait for the cross walk to signal that I could continue. Suddenly, I heard a HUGE SPLAT and glancing just to my right, I realized that I had been inches away from being baptized by a pigeon's digested breakfast.

"Whew," I said to myself. "That was a close call. I was almost nailed!"

My mind slipped back to one of my first memories from college when a friend and I were walking down the street chatting. Out of nowhere, a sea gull flying above us released it's wastes on the long, curly hair of my unsuspecting companion. She handled it very well, after, "Oh my god, it's so gross. Get it out. GET IT OUT!"

I realized in that moment, that it doesn't matter how great you are, sometimes shi*t happens. My friend is an awesome, amazing, incredible person, and she STILL got shat on. She handled it gracefully and laughed about it later however, which I greatly admired.

Staring at the white blob on my right, I pondered if I would handle that situation so well. I'm sure it would be a learning experience, where I would be called to let go, laugh at myself, and move on with grace and ease. Sometimes it's the dirtiest, stinkiest, most icky experiences that teach me the most in life. Blessings in disguise. Life lessons. A chance to pick a constructive or destructive response to the metaphorical poo that sometimes falls from the sky when we least expect it.

I looked up in the sky and suddenly realized I was standing directly under a lamp post with LITERALLY 20 pigeons chilling right above my head. It was seriously a pigeon hotel or something. I might as well have painted a bulls eye on my face.

It took me a split second to make the decision to step to the left and move far, far away. Blessings in disguise and all that are great, but there are other ways to learn life's lessons that don't include pigeon poop.

Then I realized that a deep Learning had occurred, one in which I will carry with me forever. The Universe offers us Free Will and choice, which can be a beautiful thing when used wisely...My new found wisdom is as follows:

"Sh*t happens, but I sure as heck don't have to be target practice."