Day 27: June 12, 2012 ~ All Creatures Great & Small

Day 27: June 12, 2012 ~ All Creatures Great & Small

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

Anatole France

 

That's a treasured photo of my son Eli feeding Earnest the chipmunk some peanuts at our family cabin in the Adirondacks. Chipmunk feeding was a source of great enjoyment every summer, and so when we packed food for our stay at the cabin, we were sure to bring large quantities of peanuts to feed our furry friends. We chose names for each of them, to match their personalities. Earnest earned his name because he was...well, very earnest about his peanut gathering. He was not shy; he wouldn't always wait to be offered a peanut from our hands--sometimes he would scamper up our pants legs and dive into our pockets to find the stored loot. After a while, he learned to cut out the middle man altogether and go right to the source...he would go into the cook shack, climb up onto the counter and dive into the coffee can that contained the week's supply. 

Today I am in appreciation for the variety of animal species with whom we share this planet. There is something truly awesome about encountering an animal in its own environment and sharing moments of 'communion' in the wild. I experienced such a moment at the Adirondacks cabin. One sunny afternoon I was sitting in the lean-to writing letters (pockets filled with peanuts just in case Earnest should wander by), when all of a sudden I heard some rustling in the leaves. Oh good, I thought...chipmunks are visiting. I looked toward the fire pit in front of me and saw two little black pointy ears...oh how cute! A black bear cub! And then another little set of ears. Then it dawned on me, oh, that means mama bear must be right behind them.


Sure enough, Mama Bear came lumbering after them. Oops. I really had no idea what to do. Instinctively, I stood up and yelled, "Hey!" Not sure that was the right thing to do, but that's what I did. She started to turn and run, but stopped, as if to say, "wait a minute!" She stood up on her hind legs, about 12 feet away from me, and clacked her teeth and huffed at me. Time stopped for me at that moment. It seemed to go on forever, although I'm sure it was only a matter of seconds. It felt as if she just wanted me to know who was in charge. After all, she was the one with the 6" claws and very sharp teeth. In that moment I got that she certainly had the ability to do great harm, but she had no such intention. I felt in that moment very alive and very connected to nature and to the universe. She got back down on all fours and walked away, very slowly, looking back a couple of times for good measure. I earned the nickname Standing Bear Woman after that encounter :-)


I am in great gratitude for the opportunities we have to interact with and learn from all creatures great and small. How awesome they are!