Walking in to work this morning, the pavement looked more like it had been raining earthworms than water. Apparently earthworms surface from underground during rains in order to move above ground to safety. Sadly, earthworms aren’t very good judges of what constitutes safety, and I’d guess that not many hospital employees took the time to walk in-between the worms in order to minimize smooshing.
Late morning I ventured outside with my service dog for her bathroom break and the earthworms remained overland, and moving very slowly. My initial response was, again, to walk between them to avoid pulverizing the creatures into the pavement; but my second thought was to scoop them up and place them back on the grass. I suspect this is a bit of a throwback to my days as an animal-rights liberal; all Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. I wondered if doing such an act of kindness would be recognized perhaps as a form of “Tsethar”; the Buddhist practice of saving the lives of beings destined to slaughter. Yet as I kept walking, I also wondered if endeavoring to save the earthworms, besides being a misuse of my work day, might also deny them their fate, “the course that life takes.” Perhaps coming overland and potentially dying underfoot or by drying out is the destiny that has been chosen for them, or some of them – as some earthworms may make it safely back underground.
Such are the thoughts of a transpersonal & holistic hunter; a bizarre combination of Earth Mother-psychotherapist and gun-loving hunter (like one of those small town buffet restaurants that serve all-you-can-eat American and Chinese cuisine with a sushi bar).
I greatly enjoy watching hunting shows, especially Winchester Deadly Passion; Melissa Bachman isn’t afraid to show her foibles and to laugh at them with a shrug. Sometimes, however, I’ll see a deer harvest that grips my heart a little, making me feel a tiny bit sad for the deer, even though I’m rooting for the hunter. Such as when the camera catches the expression on a buck’s face just after he’s been shot as he has a moment of confusion before stumbling and falling down. Crazy though it may be, I think perhaps, this is part of what makes me an ethical hunter. I don’t hunt just to prove I have power over other species. On the contrary, I have been bested, a lot, by many creatures; great and small.
Nature is where I most find G-d, and I have deep reverence for creatures of the wild. This past Sunday I took my Labrador Retriever service dog on a long walk through some woods on post (Fort Riley). The woods popped with bright green as the trees and woodland floor bloomed. There were numerous deer tracks along the way, so I hushed my voice to a whisper, pointing them out to my labbie-girl, whose nose was awakened with the smells. At one point I decided to head into the woods, off the path, to follow the deer tracks inward in hopes of finding a shed. I’ve still never found a shed. We came across deer scrapes on the branches low to the ground. I was fascinated as I’d never seen scrapes. We had apparently stumbled into the stomping grounds of a herd, given by the number of hoof prints in the ground.
At one point, Daisy (my SD) and I stopped so I could take some photos, and we heard twigs crunching under foot. We both stopped and turned toward the noise. It was fun to watch my dog respond to the sounds and scents, because I don’t normally take her out in the woods. For a moment I sat on a log and quickly downloaded a deer calling app to my phone, hoping that perhaps I could catch site of the deer I knew was surely out there avoiding us. Alas we did not see a deer; but I marveled at the beauty around me and know that my Daisy enjoyed our woodsy romp as much as I did.
Being in nature wasn’t about hunting in that moment; it was about honoring the sacred. And whether I’m adventuring in the woods, or avoiding live worms covering the sidewalk, I recognize the uniqueness of the natural world. I am in awe of it.
There is something magical about the process of wild creatures Being. I hunt, for food of course, but also because it is the closest I can come to being One with the natural world; not just sitting in a ground blind waiting to harvest a deer (or turkey, as spring turkey season is fast upon us), but studying the movements, sounds, and signs of the wildlife I pursue. Much as my son and daughter-in-law are venturing around the world on their honeymoon, learning and experiencing different cultures; I venture into Nature to explore the cultures of the creatures that reside there.
There is a balance between interfering in the environment, and allowing the natural course of nature. Today I chose not to impose my will upon the ecosystem. I left the earthworms to their fate; for it was not mine to create.
GalHunterMidlife 