I think I watch the animals more in the winter than I do in the summer. Winter is the difficult season, and because it’s such a long season here in Maine, it can be very hard on some people. I love it, but I must confess that summer is an easier time of year. In summer, there is no shivering and no constant unconscious tightening of muscles when outside, which leads to pain and spasms later. In summer, there is no extra clothing to think about, no chapped and cracked skin, and no precautions to take, other than sunblock, and the sun is not that strong here.
But winter, winter is the time of hardship. I like to watch the animals because they take
the season so gracefully. Although they
are better suited to their environment than we are, they still have hardships
in winter. Food is scarcer and it is not
fresh and so does not contain the same vitamins. Ice and frozen mud can cake on fur and cause
difficulties, and exposed areas such as the comb on a chicken can get
frostbitten. Yet the animals take it all
so gently, so gracefully.
Gratitude. I think
that’s what it is. They are overflowing
with sheer gratitude for any situation in which they find themselves. Gratitude is the hidden key to
abundance. Misery, sorrow, and
ungratefulness attract more of the same in life, I think. Perhaps on occasion Nature would like us to
say “thank you,” or at least behave as though we are thankful. It seems whenever I am grateful, I receive
more. It’s like loving an old woman’s
cooking. If you tell her you love it and
express true gratitude, she will always fill your plate again and again. I think it works the same with Nature, and it
is only we who make it more complicated.
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| Peaceful little lamb. |
