April 29, 2021
A frozen wet morning inside the forest. The writer’s words on January 31, 2021. A frozen wet morning. I knew something was up the day before. I had come in contact with twelve to fifteen deer roaming together. Like cattle they belong to each other for warmth, they feed as one and to protect the young. To be ready for the soon to become winter storm. I often think of the deer as being human. What would they do in this age where we’re still being asked to keep our gatherings at limited numbers? Being on the front line I fall witness to a lot parents protecting their little ones. The past year has been rough. Remote learning, a lack of energy to want to learn, the job front has changed, the dream to overcome is what we did several months ago. Today we just want it to back to normal. Our willingness has turned into extra weight with absolutely no physical evidence of truly gripping the reins of mental freedom. What would the deer do? Seriously! In all things they do rarely do I see just one. They’re masters at walking in amazing amounts of peace while grouping in the name of affection and protection. Could they survive how we’ve been encouraged to separate? As open as it’s becoming during these April days 2021 is as far away as we remain from the reality of normal. Being transparent with your open eyes I admit that our motions and emotions are suffering with no true answer to what it is we seek. Are we standing on our feet or given in to defeat? Nothing feels like it’s changing so we do the best we can. This isn’t a negative. This is awareness. Have you ever studied the habits of a deer? The swishing of the tail, the quick jerks of the ears and the stamping of the front hoofs in the dirt. The animal kingdom knows the way. Instinct is everything. Is that where you are? The daily gut check. This is where we are. This is how we are. This isn’t turning out the way we dreamed. I know! Let’s find a new way! A frozen wet morning inside the forest. The lesson learned sits in the temperature. Without each other it’s very cold. When you reach your new normal accept each other’s changes. The old path no longer exists. You weren’t ghosted by coworkers and friends. Unlike the deer we elected to hide from the way it was all being done. The goal is to be seen, heard, loved, believed in, trusted, accepted and more importantly aware because the next storm truly could be bigger.