18August2008
The Deer Keeper
Posted by Robin Easton under: Hobnobbin' with Robin.
The other day I ran barefoot along a mountain trail and had gone about a mile and half when I heard voices ahead. The trail was very steep and in places only wide enough for one person so I slowed my pace. Around the next bend I found a father, two five year old girls and their grandmother. They all stood on the trail about a hundred feet ahead of me. At my approach one of the little girls looked up. Her eyes grew huge and her face lit with joy as she exclaimed, “Oh look! It’s the deer keeper. Daddy look; she’s a deer keeper.”
I silently chuckled and as I walked toward them I heard the Dad say, “No, that’s just a hiker.” The little girl’s magic-filled face slumped in confused dismay. Nonetheless she protested, “No she’s a deer keeper.” The father and grandmother looked at each other and shrugged like, “I don’t know what she means”. They briefly asked me about the trail, how far, how steep, and decided to return to their car.
I waved goodbye and started to jog off, then stopped. I looked into the little girl’s eyes and smilingly said, “I like being called the ‘Deer Keeper’. Thank you. I’ll always remember that name. I like taking care of the deer.” At first she looked down, disillusioned and embarrassed. Then I said, “’Deer Keeper’ is the most beautiful name I’ve ever been given.” Her head shot up and her whole face beamed like warm sunshine. We both giggled and I ran on. So happy…for her…for me….for Life.
Whether or not she’d once seen or read about a lady who kept deer I don’t know. Regardless, it was a touching moment because I realized that for a child to see a woman running barefoot through the woods, with her hair flying down past her waist must have seemed magical, like a storybook come to life. As a child I would have fallen in love with such a woman and woven a thousand fairy tales around her.
All day I felt happy when I thought of that little girl and her connection to magic. Some might say I turned the incident into more than it was. I would reply, “Maybe Life is more than you realize.” I chose to believe she saw the core of me, the woman who is desperately in love with the wild world. Whether that is the case or not doesn’t matter.The important thing is that I chose possibility and magic.
When I arrived home I went into the bathroom to splash cold water onto my face. I happened to glance in our steam-stained mirror and for a moment I too saw “The Deer Keeper”. She is the deepest part of me.
Love,
Robin
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What magic or sense of wonder, which you experienced as a child, would you like to bring back into your life?
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<<< The “Deer Keeper”, taken through my dirty bathroom mirror.
DEDICATED TO: My dear friend Toby M. Toby is a faithful and highly skilled computer technician and a deeply kind sensitive soul. I couldn’t know a finer person. Nor could I have gotten my blog running without his endless skill and patience. Thank you my friend; you are seen. Love, Robin
