The majority of the knowledge that I still possess has come from my experiences in life. Whenever I hear a bird song that I don’t recognize I quietly sit and look for it or walk to find out what kind of bird it is. The cheerful song of the chickadee calling “Hey Sweetie” makes me smile every time I hear it. The older I am, the more I cherish the calming songs of the birds, and the more I try to escape the harsh man-made noise of civilization.

Living with the daily natural cycles of the deer, turkeys and squirrels on my land I find my activity levels synchronizing with theirs. During the early morning hours not only are these creatures actively foraging for food they are interacting with the other wildlife around them. As the day turns into afternoon most of these creatures spend their time resting and regenerating. Once the day winds down and dusk approaches the wildlife forage for food one last time, before settling in for their long nights’ sleep.

While the others quietly sleep, the creatures of the night (opossums, skunks, raccoons and bats) begin their natural cycles. I have come to cherish these creatures. I respect the niches that they fill and the important role that they play in maintaining the balance of nature around me. Not only do they clean up leftover food and carrion, they consume huge amounts of insects.

Ultimately, the lessons I have learned by watching wildlife and simply being in their presence have created my belief and value system. By observing the wildlife around me I have learned what co-existence really means. Respecting another creature’s right to exist. I have watched the obvious social hierarchy in the herds of deer and flocks of turkeys. In the deer herd it is usually the older, larger does that are the herd matriarchs. As these does interact with other deer they show their dominance with subtle body language that all the others respect. This kind of leadership is based upon quiet strength, intelligence, and years of experience. Sadly, these are qualities that appear to be missing in our leadership now.

In the days that lie ahead perhaps what we all need is to turn to nature to find the strength, courage and peace of mind that will be required of us.  In the early morning hours as I sit quietly greeting the new day I am thankful for the gift of nature that surrounds me. The energy that nature brings to me reinforces my faith that we will find harmony and peace again. Together with empathy for our fellow man and with the courage to stand up and speak out for the rights of all living creatures we will not only survive we will flourish from the lessons we have learned.

With Gratitude and Blessings,
Cheryl