Yellowstone. It is one of my favorite places on this earth. Primal, alive, as intact as it gets on this planet anymore. Vibrant and a gift to any visitor with eyes to see, ears to hear and an open heart.
Its very essence strikes a deep chord in us humans as we arrive with our burdened lives and endless worries, time constraints and need for cell phone and internet coverage. It reconnects us to that very essence that we ourselves are made of. In its naked rawness with life and death happening at any moment the boundaries between all living beings dissolve and all becomes ONE. For me, personally it is Seventh Heaven, home and belonging at the same time. The animals are not afraid and traumatized like in the rest of the world, they peacefully go about their business of surviving and thriving. They graze along the side of the road, they utilize the preexisting pavement to make headway on their migratory path and they do what they have been doing for eons. There is room, there is space, there is this sense of freedom even though death can happen at any moment for those lagging behind, injured, incapacitated and sick.
But even death is merciful and welcome, feeding a whole slew of beings in its wake and ensuring survival for those taking a life and the other creatures depending on them for a meal. When we came across a recent wolf kill the wolves had taken their share of the elk that they had killed earlier. By now the coyotes and magpies were feasting on the carcass and the ravens were waiting in the sidelines. Other, smaller creatures were next and the whole ecosystem was benefitting from the death of the elk whose life was a gift to all... It is that simple. Life really is a collaborative process with the common Good of all Life in mind. A constant evolution and a miracle.
Yellowstone- where part of my soul has taken up permanent residence and where balance prevails against all odds...
Photo: Coyotes near wolf kill taking their share...
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