Seagull or Pigeon?

I just got back from a weekend getaway, and my mind was buzzing with ah-ha moments.

I think I am going to start with birds. Yes, birds.

The beach is usually ruled by seagulls. They’re loud, always present, and constantly circling for scraps.

But this time, something unusual caught my eye: pigeons. Pigeons on white sand, right there among the waves and the crowds of people.

It made me pause and ask myself a strange but oddly clarifying question: If I were a bird at the beach, would I be a seagull or a pigeon?

And after some intense inner dialogue (and maybe a couple of Mom Waters), I decided:

I’m totally a pigeon.

Not the most glamorous bird, I admit. No one writes poems about pigeons. No one feeds them on purpose. But honestly, it makes sense.

Pigeons are unbothered. They go wherever they want. You see them chilling on sidewalks, strutting like they don’t have a care in the world, or photobombing weddings in public parks. Also, there are even trainable “homing pigeons”.

Now they’re showing up on beaches too? Iconic. Or ironic? Either way—unexpected and bold.

Meanwhile, seagulls are out there yelling at people for chips. Doing tricks for crumbs. Flying in flocks. Fighting for morsels. Not my cup of tea.

I realized I’d rather be the pigeon—the one who doesn’t quite fit in, who surprises you, who pops up somewhere unexpected and claims a little space. Pigeons don’t follow the crowd; they make their own paths. One day they’re strutting across a city sidewalk, the next they’re chilling in a park—or crashing the seagulls’ beach party like they totally belong.

That’s the kind of freedom I want.

I don’t want to be caged like a songbird or stuck circling in flocks like the gulls. I want to wander, explore, maybe confuse a few people in the process.

I want the freedom to fly wherever the wind (or an impulse) takes me—skyscrapers or shorelines, farms or forests, beach towels or balconies.

Just doing my thing, charting my own course, and showing up wherever life feels a little more interesting.

So yeah…I’m a pigeon.

Unconventional. Unexpected. Unapologetically me.

If you were a bird, what kind of bird would you be?

~ Ditto Kiddo