I had just come back from a sunrise walk the other morning when I was surprised by two deer standing in the middle of our residential street. They looked terrified. I wondered how they had come to this spot, deep in a suburban setting. How had they manoeuvred through all of the backyards and fences? The deer had wandered far from the Greenbelt from which I had just surfaced. I noticed that they were yearlings with no adult to guide them. They were on their own, shaking miserably.
I have been in that same situation at various times in my life – suddenly finding myself in a strange environment, disoriented and wondering how to get to back to familiar territory and safety. Being dazed and confused often feels strange and uncomfortable, but following my instincts has always guaranteed me successful navigation of the circumstances. Watching two young deer reminded me of this lesson.
My first (maternal) thought was to somehow help the deer out of the neighbourhood, across a busy road, and point them back towards the river. Since I have no experience in shepherding wild deer, I decided to watch and follow from a distance. At least I could send them my good energy. They were very skittish, and the noise of a barking dog and a passing car made them even more agitated. These graceful creatures were completely so out of their element, and I hoped that they would find their way out of this situation.
Once the noise settled, they seemed less stressed. They slowly sniffed the air and began following the road, and in the right direction! If they continued, they would eventually reach the river. They were tentative in their movements, but acted as if they instinctively knew which way to go to get out of this mess. I noticed a pattern of scattered fear and then calm determined direction. I followed them for quite a while, amazed that they eventually figured it out. Their natural instinct led them to the river – their safety zone. I felt very happy for their accomplishments, perhaps even a little smug that Mother Nature had helped them out.
I know that I am like these deer. When I am feeling out of my element, scattered and stressed, I don’t always make the best decisions. Sometimes I make really poor choices. But, if I calm down and focus on really being present to what is going on around me, I know that my instinct / intuition becomes more available to help me out. I can begin to decipher which way to go.
We can’t always control or even predict how we end up in tricky situations; we can, however, choose to tune out the noise and listen quietly to that still small voice that leads us on.