Blending in

We had no internet until this afternoon, so I’ve missed one of my favorite memes — the What’s On Your Nightstand roundup at 5 Minutes for Books. It was a rounding-up kind of a day, writing quarterly reports and attending our first fall horseback lesson, but I guess a roundup of the last month’s reading wasn’t in the cards.

As I sat at the kitchen table writing out my summary of what we’ve accomplished this term, I glanced out the window and saw a flock of chipping sparrows flutter out of the walnut tree and land on the driveway — where they promptly disappeared.

I rubbed my eyes and looked again, as the driveway appeared to be hopping.

Closer in:

I realize it’s the land of the free, where individuality is the rule of the day. But I found the protective coloration of these sparrows to be nothing short of miraculous. Surely it helps them to forage even with the watchful eyes of predators around. But what I marvel at most is how perfectly suited they are to their surroundings. They are a lesson in contentment, in a way — they’re attracted to settings where they fit in, not where they stand out as unique or extraordinary. Yet even so, they’re handsome little birds, delicately marked and elegant.

Blending in isn’t really so bad.