Small moments (an essay)
Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:17 am
The economy is terrible, both my wifes and my place of employment announced lay-offs, all my vehicles are ready to give up the ghost and this winter caused the pipes to burst in my garage and yet today I was reminded of how lucky I am.
I went out to sit on the deck to try and relax by smoking a Coronado knowing I wouldn't be purchasing anymore for a long time, when I heard one of the few sounds that makes me almost lose my breath, cerrik cerrik... a Woodcock had decided that the fallow field across the street would be the ideal place to attract a mate. I called to my 6 yr old boy now in his PJ's ready for bed to come out and sit with me and before I could tell him to listen he heard it and his eyes light up. I was so proud that he just knew whatever was making that noise was something special. Then the little timber-doodle took to the air making that beautiful sound, the twitter and the little peep peep, we were able to see him in the dim sky then he fell back to earth. The joy of being able to share that with my son almost made me choke up. Suddenly there was a rush of similer moments brought forward in my mind.
My life is made up of so many BIG things that I think will dictate my happiness when really it's the small moments that are what help me to survive. My family used to visit a lovely old camp on a lake in Canada, it had an old hand pump that was the only way to get drinkable water, I remember that sound to this day. It meant Grampa was up making coffee and that he would be up to wake me to go fishing. As always, life changes things, family moved away and we stopped going, maybe 15 years and two kids later we were able to return. One foggy morning after a fight with my soon to be X-wife my 2yr old daughter and I were sitting on the dock when we heard a loon her expression made me forget everything. She almost fell off the dock trying to see it through the fog.
The following fall after a bad divorce that resulted in my Kids moving away and left with no money and in bad shape emotionally. I decided to go hunting on my dads farm I just needed to get in the woods. I wasn't really paying attention, when a grouse burst out from right between my feet, without even thinking I was able to ground the bird, I recall yelling at the top of my lungs “You can't take that away from me”. That simple small moment woke me up and made me stop feeling sorry for myself.
We hunters are the luckiest people in the world we always have those small moments to fall back on to keep us level and to help us go on. And it seems so hard to explain to those who don't hunt that this is an important thing to keep alive, way more important then money or a new home or some politicians agenda.
I know it's long, but thank you for allowing me to share this.
I went out to sit on the deck to try and relax by smoking a Coronado knowing I wouldn't be purchasing anymore for a long time, when I heard one of the few sounds that makes me almost lose my breath, cerrik cerrik... a Woodcock had decided that the fallow field across the street would be the ideal place to attract a mate. I called to my 6 yr old boy now in his PJ's ready for bed to come out and sit with me and before I could tell him to listen he heard it and his eyes light up. I was so proud that he just knew whatever was making that noise was something special. Then the little timber-doodle took to the air making that beautiful sound, the twitter and the little peep peep, we were able to see him in the dim sky then he fell back to earth. The joy of being able to share that with my son almost made me choke up. Suddenly there was a rush of similer moments brought forward in my mind.
My life is made up of so many BIG things that I think will dictate my happiness when really it's the small moments that are what help me to survive. My family used to visit a lovely old camp on a lake in Canada, it had an old hand pump that was the only way to get drinkable water, I remember that sound to this day. It meant Grampa was up making coffee and that he would be up to wake me to go fishing. As always, life changes things, family moved away and we stopped going, maybe 15 years and two kids later we were able to return. One foggy morning after a fight with my soon to be X-wife my 2yr old daughter and I were sitting on the dock when we heard a loon her expression made me forget everything. She almost fell off the dock trying to see it through the fog.
The following fall after a bad divorce that resulted in my Kids moving away and left with no money and in bad shape emotionally. I decided to go hunting on my dads farm I just needed to get in the woods. I wasn't really paying attention, when a grouse burst out from right between my feet, without even thinking I was able to ground the bird, I recall yelling at the top of my lungs “You can't take that away from me”. That simple small moment woke me up and made me stop feeling sorry for myself.
We hunters are the luckiest people in the world we always have those small moments to fall back on to keep us level and to help us go on. And it seems so hard to explain to those who don't hunt that this is an important thing to keep alive, way more important then money or a new home or some politicians agenda.
I know it's long, but thank you for allowing me to share this.