Encounter

Greetings from the hills of West "by God" Virginia; We have settled in quite nicely here, as if we have always been here. People are genuine and humble. I am grateful to be in such presence. I took a walk this morning around the perimeter of our property and came across a log placed equilateral to the creek running along the back of the land. I was watching the birds go about their business of eating at the local food banks provided them by myself and neighbors. I watched a family of mallards swim upstream against the current. I enjoyed 14 wild turkeys pecking at the seed in our yard. I watched the red and grey squirrels go about their food recovery from the winters storage locations. I was just about to get up when I turned my head and caught a sign of 3 deer walking between myself and the house. I froze and watched them for about 15 minutes while they fed in our yard. I have been in the mountains before and seen plenty of wildlife, but this was something different. I came to the realization that our two dogs were not even barking. I could not believe how close they were. I could almost hear them breathing as I watched the air come out of their nostrils. They almost seemed to ignore me. They slowly moved off and left me to my own thoughts. What a wonderful move we have made to come here. Everything is perfect. I pondered where I have been in my life and where I am now. I thought about my mistakes, my triumphs, my trials and tribulations. As I watch these animals go about their business I thought about what we as humans do in our daily lives. How eye opening an experience to have confirmed by nature what I have always known in my heart. Our lives are not about property, bank accounts, who we know and what we do. Nor is it about what legacy we leave behind. Have we become so predictable and delusional in our daily lives that the very essence of our souls is buried deep within. A kind word here, a gentle touch there, a simple thank you or hello sometimes makes another persons day. I know it makes mine when a stranger waves and acknowledges my presence. How awesome it felt to be acknowledged by these animals. In the big cities this is lost sometimes. I beg you all to recapture this part of your lives if you have not already done so.