Monday, June 18, 2018

The Buck and Us

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Tonight the local wildlife gave me a good reminder to put down the phone and enjoy events as they happen without having to document them with photos or video. I decided to write about it, instead, after the fact.

So there I was, washing produce at the kitchen sink, when something caught the corner of my eye. I looked up, and was startled to see a young buck staring right at me through the kitchen window!

Not the actual deer. Photo by Ken Treloar on Unsplash

I managed to not suddenly move or shriek, despite the fact that he really did give me a good fright. I stage-whispered to my husband, "Fred! OMG there's a deer outside the window! He just walked down the walkway and is right here!"

Fred came over swiftly and silently—I'm still not quite sure how he managed that and didn't scare off the deer—and put his arm around me while we watched the buck and he watched us. Eventually he went around the corner, while we followed him from the inside, then the deer stopped to stare at us again through the front window. And there we all were, deer and humans, gazing into each others' eyes.

The moment was SO profound.

We found ourselves wondering: what is he thinking? Is he really seeing us through the window, or sensing us in other ways? He did seem very cautious and young, like he wasn't too sure he should be out wandering the streets or he'd get into trouble, LOL.

He then proceeded to walk down our front lawn, across the street between our two cars, then over to the neighbor's yard. He walked up her front steps, down her side walkway that goes between her house and the house next to hers, and then peered around the corner of the house next to hers.

And then we realized, things were about to get REALLY interesting! Yep...PANIC! CHASING!

The neighbor whose house he was peering around has a big, gorgeous, black German shepherd named Lilo. Lilo chased that deer right back out of her yard, around to the front of the house, and the buck took off like flash right back across the street, past our cars, up the hill to the side of our house, down the side walkway, and into our back yard. Thankfully, Lilo is well-trained, and didn't leave her yard. Once the deer was gone, she went right back to her back yard. I'd have been concerned about both dog and deer getting hit by a car.

Anyway, we ran to the back of the house and peered out the back window, but the buck was GONE. Can't say I blame him. He probably ran all the way back to the park he lives in, as we're near a large, wooded parkland where a lot of deer live.

Throughout this whole thing, had I stopped to grab my phone, open an app, and get a shot, I'd have missed out on the experience entirely, or at least not to the same level as the experience I ended up having. That I could share it with my husband was even more special, and he didn't reach for a phone, either. I'm so glad we didn't miss one single second of this!

This is a great reminder to experience more in the moment and not worry so much about documenting with video or photos. I think sometimes I like to reach for my phone because I'm afraid I'll forget something, or that I want to always remember something, but believe me, I will not forget this at all!

Drop me a line and let me know what you think, or tell me a story about a time when you experienced something profound and didn't bother to memorialize it in photos or video, but just accepted the moment for what it was. I'd love to hear your stories!


 ~positively b.e.e. is on FacebookInstagramTwitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~




4 comments:

  1. Loved this story. It's not too often when we all take time out to enjoy nature. Indulged in our little world, we tend to forget many of wildlife has been here before us. Let's sit back and think about the stories our elder has shared with us over the years. Listen to the amazing detail and think to yourself, they didn't have cellphones to create that moment so they used their memory. I'd prefer to share a memory to friends and family by recalling the event. It helps the imagination and at times, you can spice things up! giving it that twist of folklore and mystery.

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    Replies
    1. So true, Danny! I love that you tied these types of experiences in to the shared traditions/stories our elders/family pass down to us. Lovely memories of family sitting together after a meal, telling stories that begin "Back when I was a kid..." Or "My grandfather once told me...". Thank you for your feedback! :)

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  2. Yes! "This is a great reminder to experience more in the moment and not worry so much about documenting with video or photos. " - absolutely true!

    Also, thanks for the mention - really appreciate it. It's always interesting to see where the images end up :)

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    1. You’re the photographer? Cool! Thanks for putting it up on Unsplash. I always like to credit photographers even when the TOS doesn’t require it. :)

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