wednesdays are busy generally with me. within the realm of working with people, you just really don't know what's going to happen in your day. the weather was humid, making the walk between schools a little less than dreamy. usual stuff at school. afterschool was weird. it was crazy as usual, projects pace. at the end of the day, we as a group left the building and i was told my help was needed at the corner of the property, where a seldom-used baseball field borders the train tracks. i found a group of children tormenting a poorly male grackle, eyes all dried up and neglected. it seems the animal was being kept in a cage, and now they got it out and were throwing it around. i got there just in time to watch it pitched over a fence. i simply retrieved the bird and it was warm with its heart beating. a few seconds later, as i started back to the car, it died. still warm, my wife and i drove home and i buried it at home near a tree i planted last week. neglected tortured bird that few people care about when healthy is planted next to crepe myrtle that will most likely be hacked back by unskilled landscapers who will do this practice because they think one is supposed to. respect for life, at the daily level, seems superficial or incoherent. i love life, and i respect the living, regardless of what happens.