The Laughing Wolf

Well, Shuckey Darn

Despite the fun I have had, this has been a business trip. There has been physical work to be done, and then there was the other work: meetings and more. Well, imagine my disappointment when the meetings yesterday dragged on to a point that I had to stay another night.

It just broke my heart to come back “home” and eat dinner on the porch. The birds and a few squirrels kept me company, and I even had another deer come by and pay respects as I was reading. The music for dinner was provided by the local symphony, and consisted of bird calls, crickets, frogs, and a few miscellaneous soloists.

It was to this that I ate a cheese plate, had strawberries fresh from a farm, and some Smoking Loon Syrah. That I looked out over the mountains, and down towards a nearby lake. It has been my pleasure to eat at some of the finest restaurants in the world, from Russia to Japan, yet some of the best meals I have ever eaten have been where I was last night. It was not the food, though most everything tastes better to me here, but the company and the peace that made it so.

This morning is no exception. There is a duck out at the bird feeders right now, having figured out that there is corn and other good things out on the ground. He has one of the young squirrels confused and upset and it is the best situation comedy I have seen in some time. Then again, squirrels deserve to be confused and upset, it does them good. I have set the plastic chicken (long story) back in her nest just for that purpose, and to get the occasional nearsighted and gullible fox (Hey, there’s supposed to be feathers, bright blood and tasty flesh! What IS this?).

There are visitors that come here and from the moment they get here all lights go on, the television and at least one radio are on and loud, and they talk just to hear themselves talk. Then they wonder why they don’t see anything other than a few common birds.

Such may be a large problem with modern life. We get caught up in the hustle, the lights, the noise, and it becomes our world. The box gets us, from ways of thought to ways in which we “live” outside of work. All is rush and frantic.

Be it in the woods or wherever, we need to take time to pull up and break the box. By breaking it we see new and better ways to do things, we innovate, and we grow. Routine can be good, and comforting, but it can be deadly on many levels. Find a real or metaphorical porch, pull up, and enjoy the view for a bit. Let new and rare friends introduce themselves, from the real to the metaphysical. Take the time to do something different, to recharge, and to pull out of the boxes that make up your life. You will be the better for it.

Even with all the hustle and bustle of this trip, I have taken that time and gotten some new insights that will be applied in the days ahead. I may loose myself once again to the boxes, but I also know to take the time to break them periodically.
Enjoy this day and find little ways to break little boxes, then move up. As for me, I am going to break one more this morning by breaking my normal leaving routine and go enjoy a final cup of tea with the duck, the squirrels, and whomever else drops by. Driving can wait, life can’t.

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