Caged In and Didn’t Even Know It
My wife and I went to a resort in Mexico with some friends last week. When we would go eat in the dining room, it was surrounded with open windows covered by a net. One of the mornings while we were eating breakfast, I noticed a bird flying back and forth between the buffet lines. It even stopped on the station with old plates and grabbed some food. It then flew to the top of the hall and look over the room of tables covered in food. There was only one opening in the net. The very top of the hall that didn’t have any nets seemed like the only means of escape for that bird.
I watched that bird with some amusement for breakfast. Then I began to wonder, does this bird realize that outside of those nets is an entire world to experience. Did it realize that if it flew out the end of the dining hall that it could be free? Or was it so enticed with the food that was just right there on a plate that it gave up all of that for some free stuff.
Of course, right now you are thinking, Toby it is a bird. What does it know? I know it is just a bird, but it was made for so much more than hopping around eating leftovers. I thought it was all about the bird until I went down to the bar and began talking to the young man who was taking care of us for the week. He had moved to Cozumel a year before to work at the resort.
He was a great guy and was just awesome at his job. We had some good conversations and I was amazed at how he could hear all those orders and yet not skip a beat. During one of the slow times, he told us about moving to Cozumel and how much he loved working at the resort. The day after our talk, we went and explored the island and skipped the day at the resort. The next day he asked where we had been. I told him we went around the island and began to describe the places we had been. He was amazed at what was on the other side of the island. He honestly had been there for a year and had not gone around the island. I understand that when you don’t own a car, it can be tough to find a ride around the island.
He reminded me of that bird a little. He was in the nets of that part of the island. I wonder how long it will be before he sees the rest of that island. Hopefully it will not be long because it is beautiful.
That bird and Elmer made me think about myself a little. I wonder at times if I’m trapped in nets and not really enjoying all there is to see in this life. Do we allow ourselves to get caught up in chasing the next thing that we forget there is a world beyond the nets? Every once in a while we should stop and look around for something bigger than the next scrap of food or shift at work.