Birds Are Dumb

My boyfriend and I have this conversation every time a bird almost gets run over.
"They're just so...stupid," he says, shaking his head.
"They're birds," I point out.
"But they're dumb. I mean," -he looks at me, how can I not understand this?- "they have the ENTIRE sky to fly in! WHY on EARTH would they choose to fly directly in front of my car, where they could die?"
I just laughed and admitted, yes, they're dumb, but hey. They're birds, with brains the size of a peanut. What else can you expect?
But now that I think about it, I understand why a bird would want to fly in front of a car. It's that rush of adrenaline, the thrill of a near death experience. They might live for four years, maybe only four days. Most of that is finding food for themselves and their children. And if that's all you were allowed to do, I wouldn't bet the farm, but maybe a cow or a pig that you'd look for an adventure too.
Another bird story- at the barn I board my love at (my horse, darling, don't be thinking I keep my boyfriend at a barn), in each field of horses, there is a tank of water. Several times, when filling these large tanks, we will find a bird floating in one. Disgusting? Very much so. Sad? More than a little. Understandable? A little bit.
Why, you may be asking. Risky, you're relating to birds. You might need to go to bed.
Well, other than the fact that I have homework I'm procrastinating from, bare with me. It'll all be somewhat more clear momentarilly.
Imagine, for a second, that your entire life you've never seen yourself. Sure, you might've glimpsed your arms or legs, but you've never seen yourself in a mirror or in a photo. Then, one day, just getting a drink of water, trying to go home to wife and kids, and you have to stop at the grocery store to get dinner, and you need to pick up the dry cleaning or your wife will make you sleep on the couch, and the kids will want a bedtime story and-
Suddenly, you see yourself. At first, you feel a little confused- are you seeing your brother? No, you tell yourself, I'm an only child. Your father? I'm pretty sure he's dead.
It's yourself. For the first time, you've seen yourself, and you become entranced, and then, suddenly, you need to see yourself closer, observe everything about yourself, and then...
*kerplunk*
It's kind of sad, really.
But maybe I should get to my homework.
~Risky Business~