An owl interrupted my thoughts this morning with its silence. It swooped over my left shoulder just out of arm's reach as I was finishing my walk. The flight was absent of sound, and the mountains were the only witness. The bird landed on the top of a light post, adjusted its wings, and froze.

I moved around until the glare of the light post was gone, and I could see the horn-headed outline. Mountains contrasted the outline as they woke up covered in pink snow.

I thought how graceful – at that moment, an excretion emerged from the left side of the silhouetted bird. It fell and collided with a parking sign that rang with a thud.

Laughing at the moment, it seems there is some lesson here about beauty, the humor of my efforts, the status we hunt for, and how we regard the world around us with too much importance.

No matter who you are around, who you hope to impress, and how worried you are about your status - remember we all rattle the parking sign at some point.