Here’s my spin on an old parable I heard for the first time a few weeks ago. Take from it what you will. I hope it will serve you well or at least put a smile on your face.

An arrogant young bird decided not to heed the advice of his feathered bretheren and remained in his northern nest as winter grew nearer. By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. In a last-ditch effort to reach the southern hemisphere, and hoping to narrowly escape certain peril, he flew fearlessly day and night against an ever strengthening northern wind. Unfortunately, not half way through his daring journey, he found himself directly in the midst a flash snow storm. Exhausted and without hope, he plummeted to the ground. There he lay, slowly freezing to death in a desolate pasture, dazed and confused, struggling to find any last ounce of energy in hopes of escaping his all but certain fate. Suddenly, just as things could not seem any more bleak, a cow walk by and defecated directly on the poor pitiful bird, trapping him in the putrid and vile matter. Sensing his forthcoming doom and shamed by his present condition, the bird shut his eyes and collapsed in self-despair. As he lay there, trapped in his tomb, he astonishingly began to thaw by virtue of the warm fecal matter. Content from having miraculously escaped certain death, he began to chirp blissfully. At that very moment, a cat heard the commotion and lurched upon the scene. Upon discovering the bird, still trapped in the feces, the cat decidedly extracted the unfortunate bird…and swallowed him whole.

Morals of this story,
1. Not everyone that “dumps” on you means you harm.
2. Not everyone that pulls you out of “it” is your friend.
3. When you find yourself neck deep in “it”, stay calm and keep your eyes peeled.