Cheetos Never Lie….

“What is happening?!!”, I cried out, as the officer secured the cuffs around my wrists he lowered my head and guided me into the back of the patrol car…

Right at that moment a large black raven flew past. The large menacing bird’s talons were covered in a peculiar yet familiar orange dust.

A construction worker was giving his statement to the other officer, as I watched the raven perch on a dumpster. Beady black eyes pierced me with a smirking look of accomplishment. I thought of the Alfred Hitchcock film “The Birds” and shuddered.

Confused, I began to cry… and that’s when I abruptly shot up in my bed, covered in sweat. I tasted the salty tears rolling down my cheek. Thank God, it was only a nightmare…

“That is the last time I eat seafood after 8 p.m.”, I mumbled to myself…. I pondered the strange nightmare wondering what prompted this subconscious event?

As I retraced the events of the prior day I remembered the encounter from my morning walk. It was early on a sleepy Saturday, so I took the longer route passed the new multi-million dollar home construction site in my harbor.

Surely there wouldn’t be any construction workers that early on a Saturday. I could wander through the neighborhood and pretend that I was one of the wealthy owners.

I made my way through the neighborhood, admiring the surroundings, this was going to be quite a community. As I began to round the first cul de sac, I observed that there was a solitary construction worker at the southwest corner of the unfinished home. Passing by the construction debris and dumpsters, I noticed that the worker’s tools were strewn out on what eventually would be the driveway.

At that very moment, a large raven swooped past me and downward toward the toolbox. The raven targeted an unopened small blue and orange bag of Cheetos. He swept the bag up with his beak and flew away.

I was astonished, how on earth did that bird know that the unopened bag had food in it? Then I thought about the poor guy working so hard in the back of the house. He was gonna be sorely disappointed and not a little confused when he took a break for his snack. I smiled, and pictured him scratching his head and thinking, ” I’m sure I packed a bag of Cheetos?”

Turning the corner on the cul de sac, there just in front of me was the raven, he had dropped the bag and pecked a hole in it. As I approached him, he picked up a large Cheeto within his beak and casually flew past me.

Laughing out loud, I pictured the construction worker, still scratching his head as the raven flew by with Cheeto dust on his beak and talons.

Then it occurred to me that there were only two people on that cul de sac, the construction worker and myself. I considered telling the man what had happened, but I thought it would be funny if he had to sort out the details for himself. I picked up my pace and moved quickly out of that cul de sac, I did not want to be accused of a crime I did not commit….

Made me think about how easy it is to draw conclusions about people, situations and events when facts are unclear, misconstrued or perhaps even distorted. Sometimes the whole picture, true story and facts don’t present themselves all at once.

I must remember when I cast judgment or make decisions, the truth sometimes takes a deeper dive to uncover, but it is crucial in the long run to prevent misunderstandings, division or worse.

My father always told me “Assuming makes an _ss out of both you and me”. I confess that I still make far too many assumptions and then must recant, and ask forgiveness whenever appropriate.

I hope to learn to do a better job of holding out for Truth. I wonder if that guy every missed his Cheetos? I wonder if that raven came back for more? What in the world is happening regarding “Truth”??? One thing is for sure, Cheeto dust never lies….