As I sit at my kitchen table and watch out the window, I see my newest friends.
There's Baxter and Mr. BunBun, laying outstretched by the patio swing, Backpack is at the picnic table scarfing down everything in sight, Junior and J.R. battle over a picked over cob of corn. Jacques, the late night rascal that he is, has just gone to bed maybe an hour before I got up. Sadly, Lucy and Early haven't returned in over a month.
These are the assorted little creatures that make up my backyard wildlife.
I watch them, and I can't help but feel my mouth curl upwards into a smile and my heart feels warm.
In these moments, with these brief and fleeting moments with nature, I have found an oasis of peace and insulation from a world that seems to filled with conflict.
I know full well that these animals do not need me. There is plenty of food available within the community if they would be willing to risk going outside the confines of the surrounding yard. Yet for me, I feel like a strange alien governor, feeding my citizens in hopes of encouraging a more peaceful union. It feels good to give.
This little event started naturally out of boredom and looking for things to do. We named the squirrels, bunnies, and even a skunk that has decided to come by for a bit, although the skunk development has led to a bit of friction between my wife and I. She is decidedly less 'pro' skunk than I am.
Quarantine, has altered life drastically for most of us, and most definitely me. So to spend a few minutes each morning just watching these little lives roam and enjoy their environment gives a certain sense of normalcy in times that are absolutely not normal.
I spend most of my free time in front of screens these day and I have found that the digital environment can be one fraught with anxiety. To unplug from the stream of information that is constantly pitting one side against another is to give your mind a break from attempting to decipher right and wrong things with the world.
