First off, thank you to those of you that shared my first post on Facebook; it received over 500 page views within THREE DAYS of me posting it on Facebook. I received comments and even a couple emails from people I don't even know, expressing their gratitude for the post and for their friends that took the time to press the 'Share' button. So thank you for that.
Secondly, my title probably makes about negative sense to you right now… that's ok though! Keep reading and I swear it will make sense in just a few short minutes:)
I begin this post with a story… this is a story of something that happened to me last Friday… and it goes a little something like this:
I was strolling home from my Political Science Review. The time? Approximately 5:42. The weather? Freezing. The visibility? I'm not sure how to properly present this statistic… So we'll say it was very dark… so the visibility was something like a 4/10…I guess? Anywho, I'm walking on campus, past the Student Center, when, suddenly, a creature approaches me….. it smiles….. it gives a little wave….. it then pulls one of its barren hands from the warm, life-giving cocoon of its coat pocket and offers it out to me like some sort of peace-giving gesture. While in the midst of this act, it seemed to be communicating in my language and saying "Hi, I'm Luke, what's your name?" with a smile that he clearly learned from observing our species. Now, perhaps it was his gorgeous eyes, beautiful chocolately colored hair, and his resounding and stunningly captivating voice that is to blame for my pause of very genuine surprise; however, I accredit that particular moment of my silence to something even more breath-taking: a human being going out of its way to properly introduce itself and hold a proper, face-to-face conversation with another human being. Now is when my audience takes in a collective gasp… ready? 1, 2, 3- *GASP!!!*
I know, I know, it seems too good to be true; but I swear it. I swear it on the Boise State flag hanging on my wall as I type (for those that know me, I think you now know just how real this situation had to have been for me to swear on my flag). This Luke creature said hi to me! It was unbelievable! We had a lovely chat, during which I learned three things about Luke:
1. He is a human, not some alien creature (whew!)
2. He is married (bummer, but that's life) #ringcheck
3. He is in my Poli Sci class and the purpose of our conversation was to discuss the quality of the review we had just come from and my thoughts on the professor. Nothing else.
So, one could say that nothing happened with Luke. But didn't everything happen? We introduced ourselves, we found a common ground, we talked, we joked, we laughed, we talked, we smiled, we asked questions, we TALKED. Does that happen anymore?? NO. Think about this, yes, YOU, right there, reading the screen, THINK ABOUT THIS: when was the last time you walked up to a stranger and introduced yourself? If your answer is "recently," congratulations, you're a Budgie (Ciara, what the heck is a Budge?? You're going to learn my friend, hang in there). But if your answer is similar to mine and consists of some serious memory diving, we're definitely human. Dang it.
Seriously though, look around you as you walk around down town or at the mall or on campus or wherever you are. You'll always see the classics:
1) Texter Walker (noun): one who texts and walks, occasionally glancing up to keep from running into poles, closed doors, etc. Synonyms: Antisocial, NoTimeForTheWorld
2) Walk and Talk (verb): the act of walking while simultaneously talking on the phone, making the doer of this activity completely oblivious to others around them
3) Jammer n' Stammer (noun): an individual who walks in a public setting with their headphones on; the person may, at times, stammer out a lyric or tune from the music they're listening to, making them even more socially awkward and bizarre than a Texter Walker
4) No Contact Joe (noun): one who keeps their eye contact with the ground just in front of them while they walk; this person clearly does not want passers by to see into their soul… or something…
So now you know what to look for… Really though, they're everywhere.
DISCLAIMER: Now, now, I'm not bashing on texting or talking on the phone; I am constantly texting my brother, sister-in-law, or my mom throughout the day (well, not as of late due to a tragic phone incident… RIP lil cellular buddy). All I'm saying, is maybe there's a time and place for technology, and maybe it isn't while you're out and about in the world.
Now, Ciara, what the heck is this Budgie you've mentioned??
THESE ARE BUDGIES:
YEP. Birds. (Sorry mom--she's frightened of birds)
Cool Ciara.. but what's the relevance here??
PATIENCE. Goodness.
They're adorable, right?? Yes, they have vibrant colored feathers and can FLY… but there's more to these residents of the skies. These little fliers love to play and love exploring just about anything they can. They also love spending time with humans. Budgies are talkative and are actually freakishly capable of mimicking human words and phrases. It's sort of bizarre to me… but it's also kind of cool… in a weird way… search on YouTube for "Talking Parakeet" and just observe. It's weird, but awesome. But mostly just bizarre.
Anyways, most people that own Budgies, have found that the birds are friendly without being taught how to be. The birds are known to observe how humans greet one another and can then greet others accordingly. Parakeets are usually trained to say "Hello, how are you?" by their owners, but they have their own personality and it shows through their talk (or their...chirp?).
Humans, however, are in the middle of a downward trend to be less sociable as the spunky parakeet. A study conducted in 2011 demonstrated that one of the most dramatic changes in a daily routine of an average person was a declination in minutes spent interacting with other human beings per day. The study also mentions that children are spending less time interacting socially and have less social connections during their critical stages of development (physically, emotional, mentally, and socially). Again, no condemnation on technology, because it can truly be a remarkable thing, but what if we made the effort to spend a little more time waving and smiling than texting and calling? Take out the headphones and walk instead to the beat of socializing! (Whuddup cheesy line)
Now, there are many differences between a bird and a human (duh, Ciara), but the biggest difference between humans and a Budgie, I think, is that the birds know when they are socially depressed. Humans can bundle up in their bubble of technology and texting and Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and think that they are still being social and getting their mingling fill. Unlike humans, however, if a Budgie isn't given proper opportunities for socialization, the following occurs:
-Fluffed up feathers
-Irritability
-Plucks out its own feathers
-Appetite loss
Budgies recognize when they need another bird to chirp with or a human to interact with! They have symptoms too so others know they are socially deprived or depressed! But don't we also have symptoms? Perhaps they could be:
-tweeting waaaay too much in one day (guilty)
-watching Netflix and possibly completely an entire season of a TV show in one day… (so guilty…)
-getting grumpy easily (guilty)
-being irritated when your mom/wife/grandma/aunt (it's usually a woman) tells you to 'come downstairs and be social' (again, ssooo guilty…)
You see what I mean, though?? Do we realize when we're socially depressed? Have we forgotten the value of a simple wave-an act that requires no price at all??
Challenge of the week(to my readers and myself): say hello to someone you don't know. Whether your motivation is that it's a gorgeous man or a girl sitting alone by herself, DO IT. Strike up a conversation and be genuine about it. Most likely, you'll walk away feeling pretty awesome and leave someone feeling even awesomer (just accept the word). Walking away after my chat with Luke, I felt inspired to cure cancer, feed every hungry tummy in the world, and rid every ocean and river of pollution. Hope for humanity was revitalized in my soul!! Ok, perhaps that's a little extreme, but still. Live your life with a wave and a smile before a text or a call and see what it brings!!!
Much love and Merry Christmas!
Ciara
Exquisite Budgie Photo and Insanely Interesting Budgie Info:
http://birds.about.com/od/breedsofbirds/p/budgerigars.htm
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/parakeets/budgies.php
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