Impressions and a rooster called Monet…

Our second impression was that his gentle nature gave no sign as to why he would have been dumped in a pet carrier within a public park.

But his gender did.

For countless are the number of roosters dumped and thoughtlessly abandoned each day.

Then we saw his hind toes. And what a terrible impression their “naillessness” had upon us. “Who does that?” we pondered out aloud. That both his backward-facing toes were devoid of their nails more than told of a deliberate amputation.

But why?

Perhaps it was in some misguided belief that these were his spurs and somehow had to be removed. For at around the three to four months of age, which we gauged dear Monet to be, those appendages would emerge.

And so, too, his dulcet crows.

And just like all domesticated animals who come with a lifetime of care, sweet Monet will require “and some” to monitor any pain or arthritis associated with this most inane and cruel of actions.

In trying to come to terms with the travesty that has been visited upon this young bird, we are reminded that there will always be a “messiness” to life—things that anger us, things that do not sit well with us, things we do not understand and things that call us to action. Our challenge in this is to not let the dark stifle the light, our light, but to allow our light to shine so that all who come into its glow feel the impression of our kindness.

And when we do, just like a humble young rooster named Monet, we shall be brilliant.