The Wonder of Wildlife Watching

I enjoy watching wildlife in its natural state. Deer passing through a field into a pine forest, a strange new bird landing outside of your window, turkeys crossing the street; these are a few examples of life living alongside ourselves, which I witnessed over the past summer. I was lucky enough to live in an area in Norton Shores, Michigan, surrounded by forests, beaches, open fields, and Lake Michigan.

Living day by day, I would often forget the simple joys of life. Many people go weeks or years without letting their minds wonder beyond human civilization. Throughout history, as technology developed, it seems we have slowly lost touch with the Earth which sustains us. In those little moments where you slam the brakes as fifteen deer bolt across the highway you are traveling on the way home after a long day, you may consider a new perspective. These moments when you encounter nature may even inspire you to venture out to your local park or beach.

The popularity of having a pet, maintaining a garden, or even keeping chickens may be a response to our ingrained desire to connect more deeply with our natural world. Nature lifts our spirit. Spending time outdoors, absorbing sun rays, hearing the ring of insects—spending time among simpler life away from flickering digital screens—has personally been one of the best ways I’ve found to make the most of a day and recharge my spirit. 

I find I am at my worst when most disconnected from this natural world, for example, if I spend day after day indoors, only seeing the sun when I reach the car and a destination. Simple taking a walk in the woods reminds me there is more to life than my desk.

My advice is to go outside and enjoy it and forget about your daily struggles when you can. Maybe you should start a garden, take your dog to the beach for a walk, or simply enjoy observing anything out there.

One summer day, “out there,” I walked the beach with my dog as I watched the sun slowly set. The wet sand crumbled under my feet. The tide gently flowed, carrying driftwood from unknown shores. How long has this mass of carbon been floating around? How much of it has been lost as it has decomposed over the years? Do some of its fragments drift hundreds of miles away or sit under thousands of feet of water? Where did the tree it belonged to grow? How long did it live and what life forms depended on it? Every plant or animal has a story. We are all connected with everyone and everything.

Living with these realizations, I may begin to think and act differently. What can I do to help? Maybe I could choose to live more sustainable. Consider what and how much waste results from the choices we make, and how much energy it takes to produce and transport these choices. Are heavy pesticides or chemicals used to produce what I eat or buy? Will these materials decompose in a reasonable amount of time or remain in a landfill for thousands of years? If we all begin to make better choices, we may make a better world for ourselves and our descendants.