Okay, so the last days in Indiana and the first days in Africa were not as calm and organized as I had dreamed. Surprise! I was thinking of that old saying “running around like a chicken with its head cut off!” and I got to thinking, when we drive along the dirt roads of rural central Africa, through villages rife with free grazing livestock, we often see goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, ducks, and yes, chickens, roaming free. Here the animals fend for themselves, often times eating the family’s carefully laid out, sundrying human food. They are not like our son’s goats and chickens and guinea fowl, which are in a pen and get fed and watered morning and evening. When we drive through the villages, we often have to swerve to avoid hitting these animals and thereby avoid hurting the owner’s bankroll by causing an early withdrawal. In general, the villagers own these animals as a savings account/insurance against sudden calamity such as illness or mundane but costly things such as school fees. When a sheep is in the road, you really have to slow down and swerve – they don’t have much sense and take their time to get out of the way, never fully realizing they have escaped death. But at least they make their way to one side or the other. When a chicken is in the road, it will just flap and get airborne, maybe 2 feet off the ground, and beat their wings fiercely heading straight ahead, YES, straight ahead, right in front of your vehicle. So, what I’m questioning is, this saying says “with its head cut off”. I don’t think a chicken has to have its head cut off to run in a panic, senseless, like a total spazz idiot. So, my head is still on my shoulders, but I’ve had my moments recently, panicky, senseless, spazzing idiot. The Lord protects us and grants huge grace, doesn’t He!
