Dreaming of Deer

 

It's New Year's Eve, and while we're making resolutions and setting goals, the Bucks around La Belle Farm have begun shedding their antlers. 

Last winter, while Dr. Thompson and I were walking around the field, he spotted an antler. I was so thrilled, that this year I’ve decided that I will find my own antler. And so, I've spent the last couple of weeks searching around our farm for abandoned antlers. However, it's really not easy.

It would seem that finding shedded antlers is a little like spotting a four-leaf clover. You have to have a gift for it, an eye, so to speak. Luck helps. And, you have to be patient and look in the woods, by the stream, or really any place where the deer stop for a drink of water, by the fences--generally places where they can rub their antlers up against a stationary object. 

So far, I haven't had any luck, but I keep looking. And while I'm looking for antlers, I find other interesting things such as garner snakes, bob cat tracks and a truly magnificent Pileated Woodpecker, who kept flying from tree to tree, following me around the field and squawking at me as if he owned the place. (Then again, he probably does own the place!)

I get distracted. I am so mesmerized by the beautiful cacophony that is nature, I tend to forget about my antler search. But still, I keep searching. It’s the searching that matters, not the actual treasure. I mean, antler.

Creative friends--here we are at the precipice of a new year. You may have some goals, some resolutions, some fixed idea of what you want your life to look like a year from now. Go ahead and make a plan for yourself, but know this--life has its own plans. And that's okay. In fact, that's the beauty of life. 

Your creative prompt for this week is not to worry so much about new year resolutions. Shed your presumptions. Resist being the director-in-charge of your own life. But, do keep your eyes open. Embrace surprises. Look for antlers, (or whatever antlers mean in your own extraordinary life) but also, and most importantly—be open to the unexpected miracle.

And, as always, have fun.

Happy New Year!

Love, 

Jamie

P.S. Guess what!!!

This very special workshop is sponsored by the Spencertown Academy Arts Center, beginning on Wednesday, January 25 and ending on Wednesday, February 15, 2023.

 

Enrollment is limited to just 18 participants, so please sign up soon, by linking here.