Magpie or Bellwether?

"A bellwether's a sheep."

"A special breed?"

"Nope. Same breed. Same sheep, only it's got something that makes the rest of the flock follow it. Usually it's an old ewe... A teacher of mine said they're born with some kind of leadership ability...I think a bellwether's the same as any other sheep, only more so. A little hungrier, a little faster, a little greedier. It wants to get to the feed first, to shelter, to mate, so it is always out there in the front...Not a lot. If it was a long way in front, the flock would have to strike out on their own to follow, and that'd mean thinking for themselves. Just a little bit, so they don't even know they are being led. And the bellwether doesn't know it's leading."

From Bellwether, by Connie Willis pg. 167

(one of Brian's favorite books)

For more than a year this is what Emily's wrists have looked like. I thought it would be a passing phase. Brian thought other kids might tease her because she was odd. Emily would throw a fit and cry when her "special" rubber bands would get lost or broken. I would pray for patience and understanding during said episodes.

Then this fall the rubber bracelet craze hit. Suddenly everyone was wearing rubber band like things on their wrists. The teachers at Aleah's school have asked that the bracelets not be worn because they are distracting, but Emily's school still allows them. Read an article about the bracelet craze and their banning in Wichita, Kansas here.

If Emily is a bellwether and not just a magpie the next trend will be shiny metal charms that you can hang from your necklaces. (Her collection has grown since this picture and now she has added two more bottle tops and a spring.)