I Saw Deer and Felt Such Joy!

Daily writing prompt

What are your favorite animals?

View all responses

We were out walking one week, and out of nowhere came bounding across the path two deer. I was feeling down because I will have back surgery tomorrow, and I’d just had a PICC line placed in my upper left arm because of the difficulty in finding my veins. I needed some joy. They were too far away to take pictures quickly.

When my husband saw the first deer, he cried out for me to look. I just stood there in awe and pure joy, grinning from ear to ear, because the setting was in an area where you don’t expect to see deer. I don’t think I have ever seen a deer in our neighborhood. Before I could get over the thrill of the elegance and swiftness of the first deer, another one burst out of the woods as though they were trying to protect the first deer. I was so happy that, for those moments, I forgot the pain and pending surgery and loved life. I was so thankful to the Lord for the deer, and I prayed for their safety.

My husband surmised it was a female in front, with a male following as a protector. He is forgiven for his mansplaining because he is a product of his generation. I thought it was a mother racing behind an errant child, trying to get her child to return to the safety of the trees. That’s the mother in me, I guess.

What is fascinating about deer is their beautiful surefootedness. They also travel in families or herds, looking out for one another. These are cultural elements we humans seem to be losing, as we self-isolate in our homes with our electronics, not even learning most of our neighbors’ names. Children don’t feel streets anymore with laughter and good-natured competition on bikes or in jumping jacks.

So, I find that deer are some of my favorite animals, beautiful in their fawn-colored coats, and, for males, those majestic antlers that make them seem invincible. May future generations not lose the opportunity to see deer and marvel at them as we encroach more and more on their habitats, cutting down trees to build more strip malls.