I went on a run today, and less than five minutes in, I heard a ruckus in the woods to my right. Based on previous observations and discussions with a variety of local inhabitants, my brain rushed immediately toward “BEARS,” as black bears tend to frequent this area, and the orange-tagged, furry visitors from Connecticut are especially “immune” to fear of civilization.

As luck would have it, it was the midway point of a particularly loathsome half mile uphill, so I may have been secretly thankful for the adrenaline boost, but upon seeing the enormous wild turkeys rush out of the underbrush, I admit to wasting whatever muscle-spurring chemical release that may have ensued, on laughter. Yes, those turkeys with their plumed feathers and serious faces and determined steps, staring with annoyance and then striding off with a conspiracy laced eye roll… They reduced me to a giggling puddle. I was forced to shuffle, teary eyed, to the crest, and I loved it.

*Thanks to Wikimedia Commons for offering a photo of three wild turkeys… I don’t run with a camera, in case you were wondering.