The house is quiet and dark. Anxious and eager to hurry the baby from my breast, and peel her sleepy body off mine. Grabbing the opportunity to stealthily roll out of bed and silently slip on my running shoes and out the door. I feel such energy when I get to view the moon in her early morning before the sure sun rises. Off I head, to my regular place, forty five acres of the city cemetery. I spend most mornings here, looping and weaving about. This morning I stopped as I notice the beloved cemetery peacock had started to molt. Four gorgeous feathers lay beneath his favorite old oak where he roosts each night. I look up at him perched so high and thank him for these feathers. They will bring such joy to my two small daughters who are major fan girls.... who am I kidding, these feathers bring ME joy. I have loved this peacock for three years. My youngest daughter’s nickname is Poe, which means peacock. Knowing I have at least seven more miles I continue looping around, planning to gather the feathers before I leave. As I turn up the hill on my third mile, I see a blue car driving faster than normal cemetery speed and making its way directly to the old oak. I pick up the pace and race over. I watch a man jump out of his car and start gathering the feathers. I felt a sinking feeling. I don’t assert myself unless it’s concerning something I really want. There are few things I really want, therefore this hat of assertion is not one i wear often and can feel foreign. But I guess I really wanted a feather, bc I ran straight up to this man and asked for two feathers for my daughters. He hesitantly gave me the two smallest ones he had in his hands. He mentioned he comes every morning and gets them. I said thank you and ran off with the two feathers. All sorts of thoughts racing in my mind. “The greed! How selfish! Doesn’t he know that there are so many people who love that peacock?! Why should he keep them all for himself?” I plot to come every morning before the gates open and hide all the feathers from him for others to find. How extreme. I secretly stow my feathers behind a large headstone. Suspicious of even the baby fawns near by. ‘Don’t even think about taking my feathers.’ I laughingly tell them. Back to my run. My faithful friend, Compassion, shows up in my mental dialogue. Perhaps that man has an ailing wife and he was in the cemetery looking for a plot and saw some feathers. Became obsessed and wanted to gather all these feathers. Who knows? I definitely don’t. Feeling more peaceful, my run continues. I turn a corner and see a third gorgeous feather. I smile and thank the universe, assuming I had learned my lesson that morning and was being rewarded... I grab it and head towards my secret stash. I find myself darting my eyes around, wildly searching for more and more feathers! Then I caught myself. Look at what you are doing. You have absorbed and are reacting to the energy of scarcity and greed. A new view of how looting accelerates entered my sights. What old human programming. I announced I was ready to shed the programming of scarcity and slip into abundance. The universe is not a pie that will run out, it is infinite. I turn the corner and see a man walking. Again, I laugh as I feel myself getting nervous that he will find my feathers!! As I approach him I see he is a familiar, friendly neighbor of mine. We say hello and I continue on. I spy a stout man with a big, boxy dog carrying peacock feathers. Oh no!! He found them!! I pick up the pace and dash over to the large headstone. Relief. The feathers are still there. Again I laugh at my feelings of scarcity. I decide to grab one of my three feathers and jog back over to my neighbor. I ask him to give this feather to his wonderful wife. I know she enjoys the peacock and the wildlife of the cemetery. He smiles brightly and tells me she will be delighted. I feel light and know my vibration is increasing. Thanking the universe again for this wonderful lesson in scarcity. I would much rather learn this by way of peacock feather greed than say bankruptcy... I stop to catch my breath as I complete my seventh mile and there a few feet from me, a huge beautiful peacock feather! Wow! Out in plain sight. I probably ran by it over five times that morning. Exuding joy, I pick it up and go get the other two feathers for my daughters and head home.