Tiny Newcomer

I took a break from writing to walk around outside. As I went, I thought, gosh, I don’t see any deer. In the spring and winter, there’s often five to nine hanging around the cemetery. In the spring, I typically encounter three or four eating in a yard somewhere or crossing a street. Just the other day, when it was cooler, I found three young bucks in a yard, chilling in a plum tree’s shade. Today, nothing.

Then — across the street from the coffee shop is a house. And there, by the front steps, I saw my first deer of the day.

I offered a silent prayer to the world to help this little one have a good, healthy life while wondering where mama was, hoping she was near — which is what I suspect — and would soon return.

It’s a gentle reminder among the streets, politics, and technology, about how basic and beautiful life can be.