I remember at the very start of the pandemic, noticing the crows everywhere I went—on my hikes, on the street as I was walking on the sidewalk, and on the roads while I was in the car. I started thinking of how beautiful and majestic they are. In passing, I started to bring up my notice of crows to my friends as I met with them. One of my good friends mentioned their disgust with crows and described them as rats of the sky. While another good friend of mine talked about how adaptable and intelligent crows are.
Fun Fact About Crows:
They are one of the few animals that have been able to adapt to society, as humans continue to expand their living space into that of nature, driving most animals to find new homes, but not the crow, as they are here to co-exist with us.
I found my conversations with my friends fascinating and also a parallel with dyslexia. Some people view dyslexia as a disorder, a mental illness. This is apparent as there are people and companies, who don't want to hire people who have dyslexia. While others, view dyslexia as a unique perspective, and the opportunity to build resilience and adaptability. Some even see it as an advantage, highlighting how many entrepreneurs and successful people have dyslexia.
How are Crows and Dyslexics alike?
Simply put, we are both misunderstood. Dyslexics are commonly thought of as less intelligent people who can't read {not necessarily the case} and crows are often thought of as an evil reincarnation of some ancient wrath (an exaggeration perhaps). Regardless, they don't have good press. From ancient times they have been nature's cleaners, vagabonds who swoop in to disturb the dead. Their shrieks are often disconcerting, as is their full black coat.
But underneath the sterile exterior, crows are intelligent creatures, who have a memory, have been found to mourn their family members, and can even read city signage {a concept that I explore in my book, "Cruz Finds His Way")
Crows and Dyslexics are misunderstood.
This planted the idea of making a crow the main character of my children’s book, "Cruz Finds His Way", as in my opinion, crows are underappreciated magnificent birds.
About Cruz Finds His Way
The book is about Cruz, a crow with dyslexia that has a lot of self-doubt in making his way back on his coming-of-age, flight. Through a series of events, he gains confidence and relies on his intuition to find his way back home.
He comes back a new bird.
Authentically,
The Authentically Anne Blog
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