Budgie in the Backyard

Among the usual finches, chickadees, blue jays, titmice and cardinals visiting our backyard feeder is one unusual addition. A pretty, little blue, yellow and gray budgie (have to confess I love the British word for him rather than the American "parakeet") has joined the crowd. He arrives with a flock of small brown finches every day and, while clearly not a member of the family neither is he a total outcast. I wonder where he's come from. Is someone mourning the loss of a pet or was he a lucky escappe from a not too attentive pet store employee? No way to know, but he is a delightful surprise each time I see him.

He also reminds me of myself. My colors may not be as bright nor am I as cute, but most of the time I feel an outcast in my own world. A Christ following, homeschooling mom with one child on the autism spectrum is not exactly what the rest of my metro D.C. neighbors look like. Ours is an environment where intelligent people are "tolerant" and "coexist", parents who "truly care" about their children either go into great debt to send them to exclusive private schools or prove how open minded they are by sending them to multi-cultural public schools. And forget having a child with special needs. Triple scholarship athletes and outstanding AP classes are the bench marks for local progeny.

Hence my love for the budgie. An anomaly among the other birds, he reminds me that's it's okay to be myself. Ruffled feathers and all.