The Free Radical

It began a couple of days ago. Richard, the turkey vulture, silently glided above our heads, showing himself for just a moment. It was a gentle reminder of the New Vision he had helped to facilitate and hold in place for most of the summer season last year. Now he’s back to oversee– in an executive manner– the installation of that new program, the New Vision.

The next day, in much the same place, Sitka veered off the central path to investigate some tantalizing smells. She was gone for a couple of minutes, but she came back promptly when I whistled… with a trophy…

Yes, it was a piece of hide (deer? elk?) with a bit of juicy pink flesh still attached. Sitka liked it very much! At first she tried eating it, but the bristly hairs weren’t particularly palatable, and she abandoned that idea. Next, she tried numerous times to roll in it, to acquire its special aroma around her head and neck region. (For those who may not know, predators– like canines– often roll in strong-smelling things particularly if they smell like their typical prey… in order to mask their own scent during the hunt. It’s instinctual.)

Most often, predators choose to roll in the poop of their prey animals. Fortunately, Sitka has not tried that procedure yet; no, she still much prefers eating deer and elk poop instead. “Sitka! Don’t eat poop!” I’m like a broken record! After several rolls, I eventually picked up the chunk of nastiness and gave it a good sniff. Yup, definitely a bit funky! To me it doesn’t make much sense to try and disguise your own scent with the stench of the rotting flesh of your preferred prey… I mean, unless you’re thinking that the other deer are curious enough to welcome a zombie-deer back into their midst. “Hey, isn’t that Steve? Could’ve sworn he got killed a couple days back. He seems a dreadful sight! Wonder what he wants now? Oops! That’s a dog! Run!” Could work, I guess.

Look at the size of dem bones!

I think my little forensic archeologist is finding the remains of dinosaurs out there. With all that she’s gathered I’m pretty sure we can assemble a stegosaurus or two by now! Look for the exhibition this summer.

Okay, seriously… I’m rather surprised with the sheer volume of dead things scattered about out there. I always wondered what the very first insects of spring ate. Answer: the rotting remains of winter’s carnage. It’s everywhere!

I have to admit that it contrasts nicely with the bursting of spring on the scene… lovely new shoots and greenery versus bones with lumps of rotting meat… all part of a balanced breakfast. Aye, there’s the rub; it’s about balance; equinoxes are about balance. Did I mention balance?

Right. As long as we’re not endlessly scrambling to catch up from yesterday or scurrying into tomorrow, we can stay at the place of the fulcrum… where leverage (action) in either direction is easy. The Now is the only moment where anything ever occurs; yesterday and tomorrow are purely speculative– convenient fictions to appease an outmoded version of time: linearity. And as such, all opportunities only exist in the Now. You have to be present with them in order to perceive them… and many of them are brand new and largely unrecognizable. It’s as though the New Opportunities have rolled in poop… and Now are stalking the New Vision. It’s true; just ask Richard.