A group of cardinals rested in the trees. Their bright red feathers glowed in the sunlight. They sang songs of spring and danced to the tune of the wind. Life had never been better for them in that moment. But there was one cardinal that wasn't dancing. He perched on a lonely branch and watched the gleeful movements of the other birds. Many times the other cardinals tried to get their lonely companion to join in, but he refused. They knew why he declined their offers. He said he'd always felt like he didn't belong. He didn't feel like a true cardinal. His feathers always seemed dull and he could never sing with such joy as the rest, though if he was being honest, he'd never tried. He swore up and down that he was meant to be a blue jay, that blue feathers suited him much better and that their lifestyle was a better fit for him. His words saddened the other cardinals, and they ended up leaving him be. One day a group of blue jays flew into the neighboring tree. They didn't sing nor dance, but they chatted happily. They were also perfectly content with their life. After all, they were surrounded by friends and family. All the birds quieted when an old truck drove by, running over a pothole and accidentally dumping a can of blue paint onto the road. The other birds immediately went back to what they were doing, but the lonely cardinal stared at the puddle of blue paint, an idea forming in his head. He silently flew down to the puddle, no one noticing his absence. He dipped himself in the paint, covering his entire body until no more red could be seen. He chirped happily at his work. He was a blue jay now. With a bit of struggling, he managed to fly over to the blue jay tree. They glanced at him but didn't spare him a greeting. He tried showing them his new, blue feathers, but they saw he wasn't a true blue jay. One spoke above the rest: "Why are you trying to change who you are?" The blue jays then voiced similar questions, all wondering the same. The cardinal looked around nervously. "I wasn't meant to be a cardinal. I came to join your group." They just stared at him in confusion. The same bird from before spoke again: "If you weren't meant to be a cardinal, you wouldn't be one. Have you even tried to be yourself?" The lonely cardinal squawked angrily. "I know how I feel! It would be right for you to accept me for who I am." The blue jays were taken aback by his outburst, but the leader responded calmly. "It's not us that need to accept you, it's yourself." The cardinal was silenced, and the blue jays went back to their conversations. He flew back to the ground and examined his feathers. Already the paint was chipping away. He glanced up when he heard thunder, and a few moments later the first rains of spring began to fall. Each droplet took a little bit of paint from his body. It wasn't long before his feathers were returned to normal. Something was different though. His feathers glistened and he felt lighter. He flapped them in relief and glided up to his home tree. This time the cardinals came to him immediately, chirping hellos. It was a much warmer welcome than he was expecting. Without thinking, he let out a joyful note. He had a beautiful song in him, and after a few movements found he quite liked dancing. But one question still burned: "Why are you guys being so kind to me after I abandoned you?" The others grinned. "We're just celebrating that you've finally accepted who you are!" They rejoiced in song and dance, and for the first time, the lonely cardinal was no longer alone.
