August 18, 2020
Being one with nature isn’t anything new. My entire life has been spent studying animal habits and connections. What I’ve seen a lot of in the past ten years is a lack of fear from those living in the wild. The deer, rabbits, red tail hawks and owls aren’t so quick to hit the highway. They stand and stare at the presence of a human. As if to be studying us or offering companionship during these uncertain times. On this podcast episode we get a little animal spiritual by way of looking deeper into the relationship that’s getting dangerously close to something we don’t know. We’ve all seen the videos of the bison attacking the people at Yellowstone National Park. For some sick reason we think our connection with the wild comes with a hug and a kiss on the forehead. Yesterday afternoon, a walk through the forest with Jazzie. We abruptly stopped when a fairly large doe charged at us. I know the reason why. Her fawn was barely six feet away in the tall grass. This doe had our number. She made it clear that we were dangerously close to something we didn’t know. Is any of this a good thing? Who am I to ask? We’re all facing a ton of questions in 2020. From the existence of Covid to the protests, election and a recession that’s being ignored because the stock market is looking pretty nifty cool. But that doesn’t help those facing eviction, continued unemployment and the potential of facing not just Covid but the Flu. Who’s paying for that doctor bill? Who am I to ask? I do bring it up because we’re dangerously close to something we don’t know. What if I changed that to dangerously close to something we can’t see? Look at what’s happening on university campuses. Huge parties with no social distancing. The move to allow students back into their moment of education has quickly shifted to virtual studies. There are two things I always think about when I’m standing in the forest with so many creatures of nature. I laugh like a Bible Thumper because I believe it’s God’s physical presence in an oversaturated world. I also believe the animal kingdom is providing us with unexpected moments of mental disconnection from the headlines and personal fears that resemble a train car completely covered with graffiti. What questions are you asking here in August of the great 2020? Who am I to ask? Talk about being dangerously close to something we don’t know! Not just each other. But self. Maybe it’s time we take a break from bad news. To locate nature, a path through a park or a lake glimmering under a sky that remains lit by a ray of light that’s traveled millions of miles through space to help you see during a new age of mental darkness. How dangerously close are you to what you don’t know and can’t see? Who am I to ask?