The Baby Blue Jay

by Arabella Fulgenzi '25

Since humans could tell them, stories existed — whether as simple narratives of a day’s adventures, or as anecdotes that evolved into engaging and embellished tales. Fiction is more than just a story concocted from the imagination however; tales often teach lessons. The Tortoise and The Hare, for example, is about being humble, patient, and persistent; it’s about not assuming you will win just because you are physically faster than your competition. Cinderella teaches us about kindness and how someone’s true character is evident by how they treat others. Some lesser-known fables also teach us priceless insights about life — like the story of a baby bird who didn’t want to fly.

There lived a small baby blue jay in Northern Virginia. This little bird loved his nest where he could rest all day and wait for his mom to bring him food. He never went hungry. Life was good. When his mother would ask him if he was ready to learn to fly, the baby blue jay would make excuses. He was too tired. His wings hurt.

One day the mother got tired of his whining and excuses, so she simply pushed him out of the nest. The baby bird wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to fly. He didn’t think he was capable of flying, but he also didn’t want to fall to the ground and die. He spread his wings and did the only thing he could do — fly.

At some point in life, we all must fly — whether we think we’re ready or not; if we don’t learn to soar through the adventure-filled skies, we could remain forever stuck with one view, one perspective of ourselves and the world around us.