Grackles

Grackles are pretty common birds. Though they aren’t really pretty. The grackle is a dingy sort of black. Not a beautiful black, just a dull sort of plain mottled black. However, in the right light, given just the perfect still moment (which doesn’t happen often with these birds) a particular iridescent sheen of blackish blue-greens can be detected on their backs. They are smaller than a crow or a regular blackbird. They reside in the North and South Americas. Grackles are definitely not a song bird, instead they emit a sort of short sharp staccato “Grahhck” sound which they thrust from their puffed chests. Repeatedly. These birds are territorial and problematic. They hang out in gangs sometimes and will take over a bird feeder given the opportunity. The grackles here seem to enjoy vexing the majestic eagles that hunt from the cottonwoods that line the banks of our river. Odd that such a small insignificant winged creature can cause so much bother for a great predator eagle… but they do, and quite effectively.

They also enjoy dive bombing my cat when he encroaches upon their “hood”. My cat, Z… is not a sissy. He has been known to cause more than a few dogs to cower. He is however, intimidated by grackles. I have seen this fierce cat of mine slinking back home, head hanging low to avoid being nicked by the nasty little feet of grackles in pursuit. Our Pyraees guard dog Ragnar loathes them. He knows they are not “nice” birds. You must forgive this anthropomorphism of mine, please. I know scientifically… birds should not be categorized as “nice” or “mean” or “hateful”. Still, some birds… grackles for instance… just don’t seem to ever play fair. Nor do they bring joy with their presence like say, the spring robin, the red headed wren or the sweet western goldfinch.

Grackles do have some intrinsic value… they eat bugs, including wasps. For that I am grateful. This seems to be their only redeeming virtue, though all creatures great and small play a part in the cycle of life in a balanced created system.

There are in my life, and I imagine in yours, people as well as events which are as bothersome as grackles. They aren’t in and of themselves necessarily evil… but their irksome nature brings a disruption in the general flow of things. Grackle people and events seem to bring chaos with them. They love to distort the peace of things according to their needs. Grackles come swooping in to disrupt and badger. They cannot simply stay in their own sphere, preferring instead to interrupt the life stroll of those they resent (typically because of jealousy). They chatter amongst themselves often and bolster their behaviors by sheer numbers and bravado.

They are silly and petty and harmless…. Until they aren’t.

I have witnessed grackle-like people disrupt entire communities with their self-interested attacks. They swoop in and dive bomb decent folks, wearing them down with incessant “grahhking". The odd thing about them, grackle people don’t know they are not nice. They bear a distinctive character trait of zero self-awareness. They only do what their particular bent dictates. They don’t care if they hurt others, and they don’t care that they disturb peace. They just don’t care about anything other than their own survival. Sometimes they are mean I think, just for fun. Are they irredeemable? No of course not. I’ve already mentioned they have a purpose in the scheme of things. Grackle birds eat bugs. Grackle people and grackle events… teach lessons.

Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” Even grackles.

Sure thing Lord… I’ll find a way to love that dive bombing idiot/event that means to harm me. The Lord gives me a meaningful side eye. Ok, ok…. It’s just a bird after all. Oh, the human kind? That’s not nearly as simple. I DO NOT LIKE these grackles. Not one single iota. “Love your enemies.” Not only am I supposed to summon something in the realm of regard and care, but HE also tells me to forgive them. Ugghhh. Is this true for both people and events? I hear that it is.

The irksome small things that get blown out of proportion when they occur... things like a flat tire, or a frozen water line, or a sick animal that has left the contents of their enitire digestive system on the floor at midnight.

The irksome person who takes passive aggressive digs at you whenever they are able, the neighbor who does not scoop up their doggie doo doo, and the pickleball players whooping it up across the street. (more on that in another post)

These are small things too.

Here is a lesson most difficult - to percieve and process these grackle small things in a manner so as to see them only as teachers and opportunities. To not cataorize them as "bad" or "evil", but to understand that they too serve a purpose. To accept the person or event with a sort of zen like detachment, to learn the lesson, and to move forward... unafraid and wiser.

Romans 8:28 -

ALL THINGS