Perfection

Ever heard, or used, the phrase, “nothing or nobody is perfect?” 

I have.

It’s an excuse I use when I’ve attached myself to an outcome, usually based on my own personal performance, and I fall short of that expectation. 

I guess you could call it an ego Band-Aid. 

I am surrounded by solitude right now in a world that is dominated by Mother Nature and her wild creatures that constantly show me that perfection does exist.   But before I get into that, let me set the stage for you.

This small campground we inhabit is 20 miles from a “real” town, an in-between place for tourists going to, or coming from, Yellowstone National Park and Jackson Hole, who almost always express gratitude for the peace and quiet after mucking through the insanity of summer tourists. 

Then there are those who visit to enjoy the Green River, fishermen/women, rafters, hikers and the like, an outdoorsy group eager to get their feet wet and breathe in the crisp, clean Wyoming air.

Now that being said, most of the time there isn’t a whole lot to do here.  Especially since the “busy” season doesn’t descend upon us until July.  We basically keep the place looking spiffy, watering the young trees, mowing, light maintenance, changing out info from time to time in the kiosk and track the number of campers, picnic area and RV dump station users.  Kind of like people counters to justify the park’s existence. 

The human traffic scurries around like bees in spring searching for that perfect succulent flower while the wildlife meanders through each day in perfect harmony with that which surrounds it.

Robins, bluebirds, wrens and many other feathered species form a choir each morning to welcome the sun just before it peeks over the eastern horizon.  Early each morning pronghorn antelope graze peacefully around us, ever watchful for intruders. 

Last night we noticed a lone pronghorn near the motorhome grazing by herself, a rather unusual sight.  This morning she was lying in the campsite next to us, again by herself.  Curiosity got the better of me and a close up look with the binoculars made it abundantly clear that she’s very close to dropping a baby and wants to be alone.

As I sit here I’m watching 2 cottontail rabbits chase each other through the sagebrush very Disney-like.  

Swallows by the hundreds playfully frolic in the skies and combine acrobatic moves with feeding frenzies as spring insects fill the air.  Unlike myself, the harder the wind blows the happier they become.

Hawks and osprey continuously scout the river for fish and hover until just the right moment presents itself to fold in its wings and make a kamikaze dive into the clear cold water to scoop up a tasty meal. 

Ducks, geese, egrets, swans and sandhill cranes fly overhead traveling back and forth between river sanctuaries, sometimes silently and sometimes making a noisy ruckus. 

Even a few moose have shown their long faces and huge bodies among the willows that line the waterways.  The huge lumbering beasts are masters of hiding their bulky bodies among the slender willow branches.  The meek protecting the powerful, a union of opposites that ultimately creates a perfect outcome. 

In out-of-the-way places you’ll find bones of the larger creatures and if you look closely remains of the smaller animals as well.  Decomposing and returning nutrients to the soil, again a union that ultimately results in a perfect outcome.

There seems to be a perfect order, and a perfect outcome, to it all.

Eat, sleep, rest, play and a final offering of Self when all is said and done.

A perfectly balanced order of Birth, Life, Death and Gratitude. 

Harmony at its finest…….

Perfection.