Entry 6- The Life Around Us

Most of my reflections this semester have focused on landscapes, terrain, weather, and other natural elements. This week, however, I was drawn to another part of nature: observing the interactions among the living creatures that share our world.

It began with greeting the two small, scaly lizards that spend their afternoons sunbathing on my front porch. I typically say goodbye to them on my way to class, and when I return, I find them fixated side by side on the warm concrete. I wonder if they are friends. Siblings, maybe? How do they communicate? Do they crack jokes, discuss the state of their world, or simply sit in silence together? My reptilian neighbors go unnoticed by most, blending in perfectly with their surroundings. I can’t help but wonder: is that a blessing or a curse? Do they want to be seen?

At my girlfriend’s house, which I visited over Spring Break, animals are impossible to miss. Her family hosts several dogs, four horses, a couple of cats, and a seemingly endless number of cattle. I found myself watching how they interact. Her dogs greeted us immediately, her French bulldog leading the pack, being the smallest. How did they develop this hierarchy? Her cattle inspire curiosity, too. From a distance, they appear identical, one of many. But up close, they are family. The calves identify their mothers and follow them around the property.

Observing these animals over the past week and questioning their interactions made me realize how much life is constantly unfolding around me. This semester taught me that their world doesn’t exist within mine, nor mine within theirs; we share the same space. There is something powerful about being surrounded by so much life.