
As I Think About It
Ideas and thoughts are strange things. Normally, I don’t give their presence in my mind a second thought, but there are times when I wonder what business they have hanging out there.
Without bragging, I would say that my thoughts sometimes are winged and behave like birds. There are, for example, moments when a thought flies into my mind as fast as a Peregrine falcon. I immediately start looking for pen and paper, but when I finally find them, all visible traces of that bird are always gone.
Just like owls, looking clever while sitting half asleep on a branch, I often try to look as though I am participating in a conversation. Meanwhile, my mind is secretly processing stuff that happened half a century ago.
Ravens are famous for their smartness. Their impressive thought processes allow them to use tools. Likewise, only last month, I successfully used a ladle to get a spoon out from underneath a stove. I wish I could have such raven-like moments more often, but those birds are clever and mostly stay out of my reach.
Just like there are birds that don’t fly, I have thoughts that definitely stay on the ground. When I share an interesting idea and people look at me, frown and say, “Seriously?” I know how it feels for an ostrich, running around with useless wings.
When I get nervous or panic, my thoughts appear in murmurations, like starlings do. They sweep back and forth in my mind in groups of thousands. What I call my “starling moments,” is what bird experts call “controlled chaos.”
Some thoughts stay permanently in my mind. Just like crows have their favorite trees, these thoughts have picked my mind for nesting. They take up a lot of space and are extremely messy and noisy.
The thought of drones comes to my mind. I wish I had a mental remote control with which I could control my thoughts’ movements by changing the position of their wings. I would make some thoughts come close and others fly far away.
But, of course, that’s just a thought…
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI really like this Christer! It’s informative, and clever in how relateable it is! Flowing very nicely from thought to thought. Very much enjoyed it, well done!
Thank you, Emily. I’m very glad that it appealed to you.
How clever to compare thoughts, ideas and memories to birds! I love the cause and effect deriving from that. Well done Christer!
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleIt makes me very happy to see that you liked the story, Greene. Thanks for your generous comment.
A great interpretation of the wings theme, Christer! As I read, I looked forward to each different bird with each new paragraph. Your story is as strong as an eagle and as beautiful as a peacock! Well done 🙂
Haha! I like your comment, continuing on the bird theme! The little sparrow inside me says, “Thank you very much, Sandra!”
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleHow are you, Christer? Hope all is well in your part of the world now! This is a fun read, as much as it is serious. Everyone will be able to relate to the clever way you have used birds to write the story line on ”Wings”. No doubt we will all be thinking what type of bird am I? I will depart Swift-ly now, Ha, ha ?.
Hello, Eric. The situation in Colombia has calmed down a bit now and we can buy gas and milk again.
It makes me very happy to see that you enjoyed reading my bird-story. And now, I’m wondering what kind of bird you compare yourself to! How big is your wing-span?
A result original angle on the theme Christer. And a great read too!
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you very much, David, for your generous comment.
This is a super unique concept. I loved the way you went about it!
It makes me very happy to see that you liked it. Thank you for your kind comment, Lydia.
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI love the comparison between your thoughts and different bird species. The meandering mind. Unfortunately, mine frequently meanders into a lengthy period of procrastination, flitting here there and everywhere. I’m not sure I am a bird; more like a moth, or maybe a bat 🙂
I wonder if there might be a bird who procrastinates a lot. That would also be part of who I am. You don’t seem to fit into that pattern though, since you produce a lot of texts in an efficient way. Bats are interesting in this context, hanging upside down, sleeping in daytime, blindly chasing food in the nighttime. Mhhh, which one of my friends would that be?
This is so clever. I think have realized something about myself through this story, Christer. I am the owl, I always try to look like I am participating in a conversation. And at any given time I find myself processing stuff that happened years ago… I wear the forever “thinking face” so my friends lovingly point out. I love that you used a different bird for each paragraph! I like the line… Read more »
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleSo your friends have looked through you too, Melissa, realizing that your thoughts and your mind aren’t really there? We might just have a slight touch of Aspergers, but we make up for it when we write. Concerning your idea of sprouting wings, I know you already have them. You have already shown them in your texts. Just keep exercising them, and you’ll be confident that you can trust their existence and… Read more »
It’s funny you’d mention Aspergers. Both my daughter and my sister have this. Writing definitely helps to unload my mind sometimes!
You’re a very talented writer, Christer, thank you for the advice. I’m sure we all have a set of wings we all just need to believe in ourselves a little bit more. ?
I am very glad to see this post, Melissa. When I looked back at my post from last night, I felt that I had expressed myself in a clumsy way, trying to be funny. Since I often find myself outside and behind others in conversations, I sometimes jokingly blame it on “my little touch of Aspergers,” although I have never been diagnosed for it. So after having read your comment, I included… Read more »
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI didn’t mind at all, I found it to be quite brilliant actually because you hit the nail on the head! We all need a laugh these days, and I greatly appreciated it.
Keep being a fantastic human, Christer. I look forward to more of your stories.
This story is a nice read. I indeed love the comparison of human thoughts with different birds species. Well done, Christer.
Thank you very much, Thompson. I appreciate your nice comment.
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI love these thoughts about thoughts! Such an accurate depiction of a writer’s mind. I can especially relate to the part about not having wings—when that story idea just can’t quite make it off the ground no matter how hard I try.
No, no, no, Danielle! Your writer’s wings certainly are there. You have already proved it. But sometimes there are stories which are afraid of flying. You have to nudge them, spend time with them, talk to them, laugh with them and patiently make them comfortable with the idea of leaving that safe branch they are sitting on. At least, I think so. Just a thought, haha.
Christer, this is a great story. I love the comparison between birds and our thoughts. I read your comment to Danielle and couldn’t help thinking that some stories needs more than a gentle nudging, more like an eagle pushing its babies out of the nest! Your story had me wondering which ‘thought-process’ I mostly can relate to and I think it must be a combination between the Peregrine falcon and the owl… Read more »
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you very much for that nice input, Marianna. I see that you agree with my theory and welcome you into my club of absent-minded , fast-thinking birdbrains, trying to look smart to our fellow birds.
Here you are again, Christer. Another piece of beautiful story, from thought to thought, very clever and original. A wonderful read. Well-written.
Thank you so much, Lotchie. It makes me happy to see that you liked it.
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleYou’re welcome, Christer. You did a good job as always.