The 56th Mile of Life

I was asked to write about the emotion of Love and was challenged to tell a story. As requested, so shall it be…

      Some would argue that Love is a chemical reaction in today’s society. In other countries, it is the most incredible honor. For many, far and wide, it is the most priceless and unselfish feeling a human being can have for another person. If I were to describe Love for me, Love is like a cold winter day; it’s 3 am, and all you hear is silence and peace as you’re sitting in the forest; you listen to creatures scurrying and the anticipation of something appearing out at first morning light begins to sink in.

      At first, there was complete darkness; I walked into the forest to sit in a tent and hope a deer would appear. I did it out of curiosity, for I have always loved nature and seeing life around me in its natural state. It was cold, and we had just had an ice storm; I packed a bag with hand warmers and strapped a judge on my side. I sported my camouflage, hoping to be quiet and sneaky enough to have a big buck appear. I had never seen one to give me a profound epiphany. They seem always to be the same. 

      But this time was different, and I had a gut feeling that something would happen. So, with courage and anxiety, I trekked to the woods and climbed inside a blind. As I settled myself in the deer blind, I pulled one hand warmer packet out of my pocket, ripped it open, and stuck them in my gloves. I put a blanket over my lap, sat back and watched, and looked out of a blind of total darkness.

      But the world was doing something; around, I could hear squirrels and birds playing and moving about. I listened to the endless sounds of scurrying across a leafy floor, always looking this way and that feeling as if something was watching but hiding in plain sight. I looked up through the treetops, and you could see the last glow of the stars and a small soft blue coming to light. Seeing both simultaneously was the most beautiful anomaly I had ever encountered, like a piece of art you could never find again. 

     Watching as light came to be, I felt peace, calm, and a tearful joy. I tilt my head, look at my gloved hands, and rub them together for a minute for warmth. I go to look back out the blind when I hear a big rustling in the leaves. My first thought is, “Oh shit, a bear.” But what I see next is a big brown beautiful buck with 12 points. I hold my breath, and I stop moving. My eyes saw him come straight into the center of the view hole, and he was so close that I could have brushed my hands down the front of his neck. 

      But I stayed; I gave him space to be in his element and patiently waited as he turned his head to look at me. We looked each other in the eyes, knowing we were strangers, and we were taught to be cautious of each other. This buck knew how humans could be and knew he was a rare jewel; his antlers sat like a crown, naming him a prince. He looked sturdy and robust. Beautiful white patches on the front and ears made him look taller. The buck breathed, and I could see him sniff just a little, confirming that I was caught. 

      But I did not move; I waited and watched. He brought his head lower. And we saw right into each other’s eyes, and we had an understanding I would not hurt him, and he would not hurt me, but for one moment, we were just two living creatures connecting with understanding. You could see his soul in those eyes, and he faced so much pain, fear, and so much time running that he was strong, but in this moment, he was brave. He dared to look at another soul in someone else’s eyes. I must have passed his test because I would have made the world stand still with what I did next. I slowly and quietly pulled my hand out of my glove. The air hit my hand, and it felt icy. Slowly and calmly, I stuck my hand through the blind and right up to the deer. 

      I waited and kept my hand there. The deer moved just a bit, and I touched his side. His coat was soft, and you could feel the being’s spirit through my hand. I slowly bring my hand back into the blind and my glove. 

      The deer moves just a bit, and we make eye contact again. I softly whisper to him, “Thank you,” my new friend walks into the forest and continues his journey home. 

You might be asking how this is anything like Love. Here’s your answer. When you love someone, everything stops; at first, you’re cautious and flirtatious. Then, you try to understand each other, forming a bond and a partnership. You talk about joyous and funny things and listen and comfort when it’s terrible. It’s fast, sweeping you up in a whirlwind and making you feel at home. But even though, Love is not perfect, sometimes it cracks and gets damaged a little. To keep that love thriving, the focus must shift from talking about outside work to inner work. That’s when it gets complicated.

You become the most vulnerable you have ever been, barring hope that your love can endure. Putting faith into that other person, but often this is when fear gets the better of us, and mistakes and bad decisions happen. But if it endures on the other side, you will come out with an almost unbreakable bond. That love continues to grow; it’s called unconditional. 

      Love is one of the most powerful things in the world, and I’m talking about true love. Men go to wars over love; people crave it their whole lives. You were born into this world through love. It makes people do stupid and crazy things. Love can take you on an adventure and tell you the story of your lifetime. The only difference is that you find the right kind, which is called unconditional.