No kidding. That was my first thought. "Who is that?" Then I realized it was just a big turtle sitting on a rock out in the middle of the creek a little ways away. He was looking at me with his head sort of cocked and a smile (it looked exactly like a smile!), like he was about to say, "Gotta watch that last step, bud." So, I couldn't help smiling back. I mean, all of a sudden I felt great.Sort of happy all over for some reason. Like a wild thing had looked right at me and -- for one split second -- we communicated. It was an awesome feeling. All of a sudden I didn't care that much how scraped up and wet I was, or that I was gonna have some real explaining to do when I got home. Man-- a wild thing had communicated with me!
So, I got the camera out of my backpack and took a bunch of pictures of him. It didn't matter that there wasn't a contest for turtle pictures (just parrots). I wanted these for myself, to remember him by. In case I never saw him, again. But I did. After a while I found out he takes a nap on that rock around the same time everyday. He knows me and I know him, now. Since I've been coming here to visit, I've got to know a couple of other wild things around here, too. I love it out here. That's how I found out how much I like Nature.
Can you believe it? I lived my whole life without knowing that until I accidentally fell into it one day. Sheesh. What if that never happened to me? I might have grown up without knowing how cool it is to be friends with the wild things. Personally. Without just reading about somebody else doing it. I like it even better the more time I spend here.
I like the sound the trees make when the wind blows through way up high, and the smell of the creek banks. But I especially like how the wild things show up and let you watch them, as long as you're quiet. I guess I sort of thought about it as my own secret spot from then on, and I came here a lot. Sometimes just to think about things. I liked the quiet around there, too. I especially liked having a place to go that nobody else knew about.
Right up until somebody followed me in here. Which I don't mind saying I wasn't too happy about, at first. Because nothing was the same after that. And I do not like changes. But -- hey -- I'm not a hermit, so we worked it out. Which led to the second best thing that ever happened to me. I'll tell you about that on Monday.
Maybe you should go outside this weekend.
I know I'm gonna.
W.K.
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