Sometimes we don’t really want to know the reality in front of us. A few days ago as I sat on the front porch in the middle of the day I saw a fox come up in the back of our neighbors property across the street, exit through the driveway, cross the street, turn and proceed down the gully in front of our house. From there, he ran across our driveway to another neighbors property. It was a great moment. I enjoyed every step. The fox was rather inspiring, from a distance.
A few days later I got to thinking about it and realizing that if I’ve been close enough I would’ve seen the bugs crawling in his fur, I would have smelled things I didn’t want to smell, and I might even have seen blood dripping from his mouth from a recent kill. If I got close enough for that, he might turn in snarl with me, and if he had rabies, he might attack.
Just before I thought about this, I was watching a deer walk by the window of my office, totally unaware that I was on the other side of the glass. Later, when I went out on the front porch to enjoy the morning I saw what I assume was the same deer eating grass across our leach field. It stood there and watched me for a long time. I finally got tired of enjoying nature and went to sit down and I assume at that point it left. A wonderful brush with wildlife. Once again, if I had gotten close enough, I could’ve seen the bugs crawling on his hide and smelled things I didn’t want to smell. It might even have had Lyme disease, who knows.
The same thing possibly could be said of other cultures and other ethnic groups. Enjoy them from a distance and they’re all beautiful. Get close enough and you realize that they have different standards of what smells good than you do. It’s not a negative factor about them. They don’t like your smell either. It’s just a difference. It is why what we call pizza would be unknown in Italy and our idea of Mexican food is ethnic American.
Enjoy beauty from a distance. If you get far enough away you might think I am good looking. If you get too close, you see the warts and wrinkles.
homo unius libri
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Opus 2025-354: Keep Your Distance
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I was raised as a farm daughter..I spent many days as a child exploring our pastures and timber land..I learned to have respect for all wild creatures but also learned so much. Nature and it's many occupants still fascinate me...2 mo. ago I had a young deer eating grass in my backyard behind my deck..we looked at each other, I watched while he got his fill then moved on....It was a precious moment of silent connection and reminded me of my childhood.
ReplyDeleteI saw a roadrunner this week. I know the thrill of watching animals in their natural habitat. As a cranky old man I also reflect on how those same creatures of beauty would eat my tomatoes if I were so bold as to grow them. I will have to just enjoy the moments and buy my tomatoes at the store. Oh, and I am too lazy to put up fences and such.
ReplyDeleteGrace and peace