Messages

I went to the gym at the pool early one morning, the first time in weeks. After 15 minutes on the treadmill I thought, "What in blazes am I doing!? Surely there's something better I could be doing?" So I had a shower and headed up to the office for an early start. On the way up I saw a feather on the grass. It was an ibis' flight feather, long and narrow, white with a black tip. That feather has been sitting on that patch of grass for maybe six weeks, maybe longer, hasn't blown away, hasn't moved. How, why, what does it mean? I thought when I saw it today "If it's a message it means flight, take flight," but I don't see messages in things, and imagined beings on another plane looking down, trying to send me portents, and despairing.

When I got to the office, another message: online Scrabble was down for maintenance for the day. So much for doing something better... I suppose that ibis feather could also have meant "Eat garbage" or "mow the lawn". It's difficult to know.