This story was told to me by my Native American Grandfather

Why Coyotes Are The Color Of Dirt

The bluebird was once a very ugly color. But there was a lake where no river flowed in or out, and the bird bathed in it four times every morning for four mornings. Every morning it sang:

"There a blue water, it lies there...I went in.. I am all blue."

On the fourth morning it shed all its feathers and came out of the lake in its bare skin. All this while Coyote had been watching the bird. He wanted to jump in and get it, but was afraid of the water. On the fifth morning he said

"How is it that all your ugly color has come out and now you are blue and gray and beautiful? You're more beautiful than anything that flies in the air. I want to be blue too." Coyote was at that time a bright green. " I went in four times." the bird said, and taught Coyote the song. So Coyote went in four times, and the fifth time he came out as blue as the little bird.

That made him feel very proud. As he walked along, he looked on everyside to see if anyone was noticing how fine and blue he was. He looked to see if his shadow was blue too. He was not watching the road nor where he was going. Presently he ran into a stump so hard that it threw him down in the dirt, and he became dust-covered all over.

And to this day all Coyotes are the color of dirt.

I like that. I am assuming that the lesson to be learned is one: be happy with what you are and have, 2: Vanity can be blinding to the one carrying it.

I would say that would be correct, Sin.

And I would like to add a third: Lessons well learned stay with you forever.

So true, RP...so true