What are you grateful for today?

The small room had windows on three of it's four walls. A modest bed, a bucket that held the freshly soaked umbrella. There was a rickety desk by one of the windows that overlooked the street almost a floor below the room. Sitting at the desk staring blankly at the piece of paper, he could hear people passing by, cars honking. Tourists coming in and going out.

Distracted, he looked away from the paper and turned around to the other window, a cloud just rolled by and when it did, it cleared up the view for him to see the mountains all in line ready to kiss the sky. He saw the empty space next to it. Then looked at the spot he was sitting at. A bemused smirk laced up on his lips, as he checked on the table and shook his head, knowing what he had known since his last try. The table and chair were nailed to the floor. There was no way of changing the view. If he needed the desk, the busy street view is what he got.

He sighed and got up from the desk, the paper shuffled as it caught the breeze from scenic window, settling down almost immediately, as though the weight of the list of things written on the page was enough to ground it. Meanwhile, he ignored the scenic window, it seemed that's what the owners of the hotel wanted from its patrons. To give the the mountains some privacy for their romantic overtures towards the sky.

Sitting on the bed, he shut his eyes for a few seconds as he rested his head on the post. In that very moment he could hear the echo of his breath, shallow and deep, heavy, light... it began to mix with the ambience sound. The sounds were dancing together in a rhythm, he was enjoying the melody, when he heard a bird chirp. This broke his reverie, the chirp wasn't a part of the song he was listening to. Opening his eyes he looked at the bird. It was a himalayan woodpecker, with it's red top head and probing eyes, it stared hard at him. He didn't move, politely returning the gaze to his guest. His eyes meeting the peckers' with equal intensity. Having stared long enough at it he could swear that it was smiling at him.

The pecker without warning, flew into the room, he didn't budge. The bird seemed to have known it's way around the room, it glided across the room and landed on the table. Close enough to the paper, it looked straight at it this time. He slowly sat up, folding up his legs and intently waited for the peckers next move. The pecker examined the contents of the paper, the words reflecting off it's eyes... he could see them. And he spoke for the first time, My friend you  must be wondering, what I've penned down in there! Do you want me to tell you? 

The pecker looked up only to acknowledge his presence and looked back at the paper. He smiled as he continued, That is a list of everything I have, and that... he pointed to the other column, those are the list of things I so badly want! Just as he finished saying that, the pecker slammed it's beak on the paper. He didn't flinch, but just bent forward to check what the damage was. Sure enough there was a blaring hole on the desire column. He smirked as he saw the pecker now ripping apart one of the items he wanted from there. the little shred of paper in its mouth it looked at him again. He nodded and spoke again, do you want it so bad, that you snatch my desire from me?

The pecker almost barked at him as it went ahead and slammed it's beak a dozen times on the paper, he just sat there witnessing this and before he could lift a finger he saw the pecker had torn apart his whole desire list, this time it stared hard at him, almost as though challenging him. His, expressions changed a bit, brows creasing, he snapped, how dare you??? you trying to take away my... he paused... then tried to continue, my... my... but for the life of him he couldn't name one desire that he had penned down on that list. Suddenly he calmed down, looked at the bird, then at the paper, the only side still intact, was the list of things he already had or milestones he had achieved. He kept looking at the paper as the pecker flew across the window and sat back on the scenic window... when it all dawned on him, looking away from the bird, he looked down at the busy street and said with finality, you took away what I desired, And I have to be honest, It riled me up, a lot! but, I understand, those were things I never had in the first place!! I didn't lose anything... and now looking at the things that I do have, it wont matter if you rip the rest of this list apart, he takes the page and tears the rest up, making a nest of the shredded paper, offers it to the bird and continues, I have already achieved these things, these milestones... they will forever be a part of me. They have served me well!! Sitting here seeing you rip my list apart, I know... those were just desires. Whatever I have, however modest or outdated as compared to the new thing, it is mine and serving me well. 

The pecker hearing this flew towards him and starts to pick on the shredded paper nest, the pecker is gentle with it's beak... He sits patiently letting the pecker take every shred of paper... and as the pecker flies off with the last bits, he gets up following it to the scenic window. As he looks out, he sees up in the distance, the pecker, landing on a scaffolding, with a board that asked, What are you Grateful for today?? And pat comes the reply, Everything!