I couldn't figure out why the brown thrasher was making so much noise- scolding and scolding! - and then I saw it, right at chest height, right next to the trail. No wonder she was worried! What its is about a bird's nest that brings out the childlike wonder in us? Those perfect little eggs nestled in that beautiful nest, created completely by instinct by the mother bird. What a lovely surprise!
Messages from the animals
I went to the swamp on a sunny Friday morning, getting ready to host a wordless walk the next day. I decided to visit my favorite tree, a giant live oak maybe 50 feet off the trail - to get there you have to kind of bushwack through the palmettos, so once you curl up in the tree's giant roots and settle in, it's as if you're in your own primeval cozy secret spot- with the Spanish moss waving in the branches high above, and the rustling fronds of palmettos all around you.
I sat quietly for a while, happy to have nothing to do but sit. I'll be honest - the past two months have felt like a pretty big whirlwind as I completed coach training, started a mastery coach class, went to the coach summit in Phoenix, turned my paperwork in and got tested and certified, took a trip on the Appalachian Trail - and in the middle of it all kept doing my regular coaching and tutoring work. My calendar had been looking a little crazy, and that's exactly what I promise freedom from! Hmmm. Time to walk the walk.
So there I was. Sitting under a giant tree, gazing into woods under the arched palmettos.
And I sent out a request for the animal who had a message for me to appear.
And I am not making this up. Within five seconds I saw her, about 20 feet away, stock still, and staring at me.
This was my view. Do you see her?
It's hard to tell. I'll circle her.
Still not sure? Well, what I did was crawl about 15 feet closer to her, and I sat with her for a while- maybe 20 minutes or so. Neither of us moved much, especially her. She blinked and moved her head a little, but she didn't take a single step. Here she is close up.
I didn't reach out to pick her up. It seemed to me that we had an understanding and I didn't want to disturb her. I think she might be a three-toed box turtle, And I'm not 100% sure it's a she - I would have needed to look at the shape of the bottom of her shell - the plastron- to see if it was flat or indented. That her eyes are orange, not red, means she's a female I think, but I'm not super-sure. (Can you tell I was once a naturalist and a science teacher??)
Anyway, I needed her message. Slow down. Clear that calendar so you can work on the projects you've been back-burnering. Or to just to take care of you. Rest. Retreat. All is well right now. No need do rush headlong into the future. Take small steps and you'll get there. Or take no steps and just be present for a little while. Breathe and be. Just for a while each day. If you move too fast you'll miss everything. You'll forget to savor. You'll fail to enjoy the process. Maybe there's some time needed to bask in some accomplishments - to take them in.
Right. Thank you! What a timely reminder.
After a while I left her, quietly and gratefully, and had a lovely rest of the day. The spring woods couldn't be more beautiful.
I know - this may be a complete coincidence. Maybe it was just lucky. But that's fine. I'll take it. I needed to be reminded, and I got the message. Take it slow. You'll get there.
Interested in more messages from the animals? Check out What the Walrus Knows, a beautiful book about animal totems and the messages we can receive from them, by Sarah Seidelmann, a fellow coach and amazing wayfinder. I'm all for animal wisdom for everyone!
Fourteen things I'll treasure from four days on the AT with a good friend
1. Fragrant pink azaleas blooming.
2. Basking lizards.
3. Dogwoods.
4. Cliff views.
5. Irises.
6. Cute privies.
7. Campfires.
8. Hot drinks on a cold morning.
9. Fields with cows.
10. Spring green and Sky blue.
11. Creeks.
12. Cozy shelters.
13. Being on a woodland path that stretches across thirteen states for over 2000 miles. That's magical.
14. Sharing a very special place and new experiences with a dear friend who'd never been backpacking before.
It's easy living, and time stretches in beautiful ways on the Appalachian Trail.
It's a joy to get out of my mind and into my body.
To breathe hard going uphill.
To feel the heat and the cold and the wind.
To eat because I'm really hungry.
To stay hydrated like I never seem to manage to do in "real life".
To walk and walk and walk with nothing to do all day but walk.
I look forward to sharing similar experiences with a very small group of women for a few nights in May, 2013. I'm thinking May 23-27. More details will be coming, but if you want to get on the interest list now, email me at carla@livingwildandprecious.com. It's going to be amazing!
Calling the animals part II
In between the wild pigs and the owl, things stayed interesting. I completely surprised a raccoon who was gorging on holly berries just two steps from the trail. Poor thing had to splash away when I walked by, there was so much water everywhere. I didn't have a chance to snap a photo, but I do have evidence of his meal!
Then I strolled a little further until I encountered two squirrels crazily chasing each other along the boardwalk. They were running at top speed toward me, completely oblivious until the first one came within about three feet of me and froze. Then the other one froze. Where to go? Into the water? Past me? Back the other way? The three of us stared at each other with quiet curiosity, the squirrels still breathing heavily from all their running. I slowly reached down for my camera and broke the spell. They spun around and dashed back down the boardwalk like lightning. I laughed out loud. It was like watching Chip and Dale. Seemed like we'd all shared the joke without talking. How many other ways would the universe surprise me?
Well, with bunnies. Adorable bunnies who were rather damp as they had probably been swimming or at least wading. One watched me calmly as it munched on poison ivy. I guess bunnies can eat it without harm.
And then there were the sunbathing squirrels. I mean, wouldn't you lay out on the boardwalk if your fur was wet from swimming? I so hated to disturb them (I saw two!) so I walked very slowly to give them time to find a tree to hop to and skip leaping back into the water.
I breathed deeply and smiled. And then I drove home with gratitude in my heart, looking forward to returning the very next day for more wild, precious, utterly free gifts.
Calling the animals part 1
The animals I called for my wordless walks two months ago were the deer, and it's funny - while I rarely used to see deer when I went to the swamp, now they come. Almost every time. I saw six or seven two days ago. I still don't really believe it works, but it's a fun game and I enjoy making "oneness" connections with the animals, even if it could all be chalked up to coincidence. This time, I didn't call anyone in particular. I sort of sent a "surprise me" sentiment out to the universe. And almost immediately a great blue heron lifted off and flew gracefully through the trees. I whooshed in a breath of wonder. Then as I walked a little further, I heard what sounded like dragons. I am not kidding. Turns out that they were a passel of young wild pigs, some all black and some tan with black spots, like something out of a children's' story. They ran off too quickly for me to get a photo, but I heard and saw them twice, snuffling and grunting and snorting and splashing through the flooded forest. What a cool surprise - I've never ever seen pigs at the swamp!
I waded through shin-deep water for over a mile, relishing my Amazon-like adventure, and noting that I'd need to choose a different trail for my wordless walk the next day. I wondered where the armadillos had gone - there was so much water and so little high ground. I'm sure they know what to do and had taken refuge somewhere.
Eventually, I headed to a less remote, far more civilized, fully boardwalked trail, and even a small portion of it was under water! I walked amidst myriad lizards and snakes. I surprised two small alligators who splashed off the boardwalk- I don't know who scared who, it happened so fast!
On the way back, I thought - ok - I would love to see an owl. I sent a request for an owl, wordlessly. I don't even know quite what I did. And then I dropped attachment and kept walking. Sure enough, a few minutes later, there was my owl. As I crept closer, she glided silently away through the cypresses further up the trail. But when I quietly rounded the next bend, there she was, perched and watching me, then turning to gaze down into the water. I did my best barred owl call and I can only describe the owl's expression as bemused - like, "Really? You expect me to believe you are an owl??" But she didn't fly away. The owl ignored me and stared down into the water, perhaps eying her next meal.
Whether the heron, pigs, deer and owl came for me or for themselves doesn't really matter -- I'm just so glad I had the gift of a moment to enjoy watching them. Give it a try next time you're outside. Call the animals and see if they come. You can read more about wordlessness and oneness and techniques to connect to the natural world in Martha Beck's book, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World. And watch for announcements- I'm going to start up a new Wild World virtual book club soon!
Also coming soon: More animal calling stories and shared wordless walks from some of you! It's not too late to send me stories or pictures from your own wordless walk - I'd love to hear! Email me at carla@livingwildandprecious.com .
Lastly, tomorrow (Monday) this blog is going to move to self-hosted so I have a little more ability to do some cool things with it. My only worry is that I won't know how to do said cool things, so if anything seems a little wonky for the next while, you'll know why. I'm hoping for a super-smooth transition, but I know I have some skills to learn too. Wish me luck and I'll hopefully be checking in again very soon!