A couple of weeks ago I received the privilege of an invite to tag along on opening weekend of Turkey Season with The Man.
(I don't know why I've come to refer to him as The Man on my social media, I think it's because I desire to selfishly keep him to myself for as long as possible.)
I'd never been hunting before, fishing lots of times, but hunting no, so getting to go was kinda a big deal for me. Much like having a baby, I didn't know what to expect and got far more than I anticipated out of the experience.
I knew The Man was skilled, I had seen the photo's of his kills. What I didn't know was how knowledgeable he was and dedicated to learning as much as he could about his prey. I also didn't realize how much this handsome and funny man appreciated the beauty and solitude that surrounded him each time he made his way onto the property he hunted on. He 'd told me before how he loved it there, but to see it was something else altogether.
I've laughingly written a fb post about my weekend in the woods with the spider climbing toward my face and the joy (no joy) of finding a tick traversing it's way up the small of my back, but I saved the good stuff for here. The real stuff.
I'd forgotten just how awesome it can be to simply sit in silence away from everything. Sitting on the ground among the trees, pondering your surroundings. Being still and silent. Did you realize you can see light years away when you're still and silent? You can feel the tree's breathing around you.
Going into the woods before dawn, before the creatures you recognize by sound are awake (I'm sure there were many awake, I just wasn't privy to it) makes you hyper aware of the type of walker that you are. The Man and I are similar walkers in the woods, both of us careful where we step, mindful not to make noise. He of course is much better at being in those woods than I am, and if there was a way to make his living hunting I am sure he would be all over it.
I wondered if I was going to be able to be still. It didn't take me long to realize it was very easy, yet very hard at the same time. You get so caught up in everything around you. As the sun comes up, it slowly reveals so many layers of color and textures to the things we dismiss with a glance every day.
The sparkle of dew on the thousands of patches of spider webs on the ground looked like spun sugar glinting in the light. The dew captured in the curve of a leaf, a tiny bubble that for all we know contains galaxies upon galaxies of life. You get caught up in seeing it all, the hard part is not reaching out to touch, but instead to be invisible.
The Man told me turkey's have very keen eyesight and will immediately know if something looks out of place. They are creatures of habit and are very familiar with their surroundings, so it is imperative to blend in. I've never blended in in my life, so needless to say, I relied upon The Man to help me accomplish that task. He made sure I was covered head to toe so as not to give myself away while at the same time he made sure that I was comfortable. I would like to say he did this because he was being thoughtful and caring, but it was much more than that.
The Man knew that if I was not properly concealed, the chances of our seeing, much less killing our prey was gonna be zilch. He wanted more than that, he wanted me to be able to see things from his angle.....literally. There I was on the ground beside him, leaning against a tree, sitting on the cushion he provided so that I could remain as comfortable as possible, and at the same time I was able to see 180' easily.
I have to tell you if the only time you've seen a turkey is either on the side of the road as you go zipping by, or in November when you're in the grocery store shopping for Thanksgiving, then you've missed out.
As children we are given a coloring sheet in school and use our black, brown, blue and red crayons to color our birds. Oh, how wrong we were. Their feathers contain a hundred shades of brown alone, and the texture of their skin along their neck and head could never hope to be captured with a simple crayola. If you want to see one up close, you'd better be able to lure him like a Siren's song luring a sailor to the rocks, they are wily creatures.
To sit and hear The Man call to them, and then hear them respond, I realized just how closely he sounded to the real bird. This was very awesome indeed.
The practice that goes into that is inspiring. The desire to perfect that skill must drive him in the same way humor drives me to write. You cannot help it, but nothing will do until you give it your time and attention. You work it into your spare moments, your daily commute, and when you cut your grass. It was an incredible thing to witness.
Walking through the woods reminding me of all the things I'd forgotten I loved as a small kid when playing outside. Of how strong nature can be when left to do it's thing.
A Young tree growing up and into a barbed wire fence, covering the wire in layers of bark and pulling it up with it as it grows, the moss growing on the northernish side, hairy to the touch, has you reaching out to see if it really feels the way it looks.
I see it and wonder what does it feel like to the tree to have that embedded into it's flesh. Does it feel the tug of the wires or do the layers of overgrown bark coat the discomfort much like a grain of sand becomes a pearl inside an oyster.
The tiny leaves unfurling at the tip of each branch marking springtime, like little pointy fans at the fingertips of a tall and slender woman. The sound of birds and squirrels skittering along in the piles of leaves all around become so common you almost don't hear them anymore.
Such a fantastic way to spend time, I can see why he is so passionate about it. I know that all the sights and sounds sent my thoughts in a million directions, so many times I wanted to type a note in my phone about what I saw for future reference although it seemed sacrilegious to even have a phone out there to begin with.
The seasons change so very quickly even though it seems the time between the cold ones and the hot ones run at a snails pace when we are in the midst of them. Cherish them all, don't just look at your surroundings, but see what is around you.
Be still. I promise you won't be disappointed when you take the time to appreciate all that you see.....
