RIP precious deer creature. Follow-up to last night’s story post... I heard a ruckus down the grassy drainage corridor early this morning. The sick mom’s sister was pacing a bit at the corridor’s dead-end at my place, and looking down toward where her sister had been. Something was happening and I could see movement, but couldn’t make it out. I made my way out front and down the street to the intersecting drainage way. As I approached, a la pajamas and flip flops, I could see the coyote mom eating the now dead, sick deer mom. As I paused to take an “all is well” breath, about 50 yards further down, 12 of the the deer “sisters” stood in unison, on high alert, full whitetail stance. It seemed they were holding space for their sister and the “all is wellness” they embody with ease. No judging, no holding on, no good, no bad. They read the room. They live to the fullest, in each moment, breathing and experiencing, breathing and experiencing. I turned around and headed home. I spotted her tiny fawn Rescue, safe and sound a half hour later with some of the others behind my place. Suddenly it seemed clearer. I originally thought the mom was keeping her own fawn at a distance because she was contagious. It seemed mean, but I knew my perspective was lacking breadth. As the sweet mom knew she was ill, she was pushing her baby away and forcing her to forage earlier than normal and fend for herself. The baby would track her mom and follow at a distance. The little one tried nursing from a couple of the other moms but they weren’t having it. Every once in a while, I would see the mom let Rescue get close again for a brief period. Now it seems, the mom was pushing her baby to do hard things while she was alive, so that she would be there to comfort her during the weening process. Pushing her to do hard things alone, the baby falling and weakening, then the mom comforting and feeding, then the pushing away to go it alone again. Each time, Rescue falling a bit, and then getting back up, falling, and then getting back up. Building strength, building resilience, building life. All is well. #natureholdsthekey #tinyjoys #littlegratitudes #resilience #dominantwellbeing #whitetail https://www.instagram.com/p/BpMvB_rg1l1/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4yyxyy0z60um