Yesterday morning I needed an escape and so against all my internal “you don’t have time” objections, I headed to the trails at Circle B.
My frequency of visits has been way down for a myriad of reasons and so stepping out of the car and breathing in the fresh air, was a genuine moment of calm before I had even set foot on a trail.
I had both zoom and wide lenses with me on different cameras and with them dangling off my body harness, I looked every bit the pro as I stepped forward onto one of the trails. The harness is marvelous inasmuch as it allows me to easily carry both cameras without effort and quickly switch from one to one, depending on which need arises first.
In reality the wide lens use is for scenery so that isn’t a quick-grab moment as much as the zoom which is often used to catch a fleeting activity of some distant creature.
So, my right hand dangled perilously close to the release for the camera on zoom, much like a gunslinger come to town to avenge some miscreant’s actions at noon. “which one of you, killed my Paw?”
Anyway, enough of the theatrics … the morning was absolutely perfect, and the low-lying light of early morning gave me a predisposition to keep my eyes mainly focused on what was happening to my west.
I wasn’t disappointed with the wonderful range of creatures out in the early morning looking for breakfast and for some, finding it. I have attached all the “regular pics” at the end of this blog and I hope you find one there to enjoy. There are Great Blue Herons, a little blue heron, alligators, butterflies, … all ably supported by a cast of unfortunate fish. And all under the watchful eye of a bald eagle that soared high above me against the deep blue sky.
in the meantime, I also include here some panoramic shots taken by the camera in panoramic mode (oddly enough), where it keeps shooting and compiling images together as you pivot with the camera through 180 degrees. Aah, the fun of modern cameras!
Anyway, here they are and you might want to click to zoom in to get the full panoramic aspect, depending on how you are viewing this blog.
It was really only when I got home that I began to muse over a thought that led me to this blog. It was how oftentimes we realize that we are living very much at the end of our rope and how life seems bent on being too much for us, mo matter what we try.ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd-06
I left that in, because just as I typed “try”, Coco jumped up and took over my keyboard for a moment. And cats are very much a part of how I am dealing with this subject.
Anyway, for weeks now I have had a growing sense of being overwhelmed and negativities have been swarming all over me as I try to claw my way back to the surface.
I won’t go into the why’s and wherefore’s here. It is irrelevant.
But yesterday’s respite that I gave myself at Circle B gave me a momentarily distant view that made me realize that others have it infinitely worse. Poor little Rocky, my severely injured stray kitten that was the subject of a gawd-awful dog attack, is living his life, hanging by a thread. Forget rope.
He has had two awful surgeries in the past few days that I wouldn’t wish on anyone and yet his outlook is startlingly brave and cheery. When we got back from the overnight emergency surgery this morning, he purred at being home for a solid hour and a half, as I rubbed him up on the bathroom floor.
Grateful to be alive, he shines a bright light for any of us that get lost in the darkness of our own despair.
If I had a wish to receive right now, I would give it to this little guy, in hopes that his story has a happy ending. But I don’t … so all I can do is try to do what I can and live in hope that his little life experiences an upturn.
As much as I am sad and in tears at his situation, his own approach to his life leaves me feeling that perhaps the ropes we complain about being at the end of, are far more powerful positions to be in, than we give them credit for.
The length of our rope is very much something we define and a life of adversity tends to lengthen it. So, though we may feel at the very end of it, there is still more, should we choose to let it out.
Now, don’t get me wrong; I struggle deeply with these same feelings at times and this weekend has been rife with them.
But the answer is never to give up or let go the rope. The answer is to hang on for all that we’re worth and if we need a little more, then take it.
Because at some point (simply the law of averages), life will change and either someone will begin to pull on the rope and lift us up, or we will learn how to climb from these depths that we find ourselves in.
So, I guess what I am trying to say is yes, feel sad, feel overwhelmed, feel depressed and dejected, but never, never give up.
Think of little Rocky and his undying spirit and draw from it. Oh and while you are thinking of him, please send a kind thought his way. The little guy deserves a break.
… just a thought.
