The excitement of the new year had already faded. All that remained of Christmas? A dried-up tree in my living room.
The New York City Parks Department was hosting a “Mulchfest.” I didn’t feel like going out, but I dragged my tree to the mulching station a few blocks away anyway.
“Grr-rak! Grrak!”
What was that? I looked up and could hardly believe my eyes. In the trees, I spied more than a dozen vividly colored parrots.
I’d heard stories about wild parrots in the city but had written them off as urban legends. Now there the parrots were in all their colorful glory.
It can be difficult to sustain the joy of the holidays. But the wild parrots of Brooklyn reminded me that all things are possible. Even in the city, nature is never far away and always ready to surprise us with its powerful joy.