So, this happened. . . one of my resident squirrels accidently got locked into my garden shed overnight. I normally leave it open while I’m “playing” in the dirt for easy access to tools and other gardening paraphenalia.
I habitually talk to the garden critters; mostly the squirrels, lizards, toads, butterflies, caterpillars, and birds. The snails are on the naughty list, so I mainly cuss at them!
Anyway, these critters are accustomed to me and I to them. Therefore, they have a strong sense of pride of ownership in our shared yard. In otherwords, what’s mine is theirs! I’m sure the squirrel thought nothing of exploring the shed. Afterall, the door was open! At first, he probably panicked when he found himself imprisoned, until that is, he discovered the smorgasboard buffet of goody bags all slightly ajar for his pleasure: chicken feed, bird seed, and corn gluten meal.
Nevertheless, the next morning, he shot out of there as soon as he saw daylight when my husband opened the door. The funny thing is that the rest of the day and through the week, he wore himself out scampering round and round the shed, over the roof, and across the windowsills searching for a way to get back into his dark prison.
His antics reminded me of how I sometimes behave. I find myself locked in the dark of my own making, desperate to get out. I discover that I’m acutely aware of my bereft condition. I remember to settle into the darkness, feel all the feels, and realize that even there, my hunger and thirst for understanding is just a touch away. Eventually, I escape the darkness and emerge out into new clarity. Nevertheless, I still occasionally yearn for the intimacy of darkness just to acutely experience the additional strengthening of my soul.
From where does your sustenance come?
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.