Snow was on the ground when I arrived in Yellowstone. Before I left, snow fell and winter began her embrace on the landscape. The summer concluded abruptly and although I was forewarned, my tenure at Yellowstone had done the same. Now I have the pleasure of looking back upon my time. I was here long enough to see the seasons change. Continue reading “Seasons Change”
Tag: introspection
The Shortcomings of Paradise
In previous writings, I said that Yellowstone has treated me well. The park is beautiful and striking and I am enjoying my work and the opportunities that may come from my employment. These things are true. Nevertheless, the experience isn’t what I thought it would be. Daily, I grapple with my perceived shortcomings of paradise. Happiness ebbs and flows and I’ve done much thinking to discover why. Continue reading “The Shortcomings of Paradise”
My Benefit from Death
These last six years have been the most defining. Returning to school was one of the best decisions that I ever made. I worked hard, discovered opportunity, and grew faster and stronger than ever before. Now, I am a wildlife professional, gaining experience to prepare for my master’s degree and grander pursuits. This would have never happened without the support from my wife, family, and friends. None of this would have happened without my benefit from death. Continue reading “My Benefit from Death”
Here I Go Again
Travel should contain a good dose of tangent and so does my writing. The open road spawns adventure and introspection. I relish where I’m going and I take pride of where I’ve been. Truthfully however, the path from here to there is what is most rewarding.
Broken Peace, Reflections in the Water
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Congaree National Park – East of Weston Lake
Lunchtime is on the banks of a swamp, east of Weston Lake. The sun shines and a breeze blows with temperatures in the 70s. Not a bad way to enjoy a January winter’s day. My job here at Congaree rarely feels like work. Most times are a stroll through the woods on a sunny and pleasant day, collecting data as I go.
Often the forest’s peace is broken by fighter jets flying above. Some days, they fly singly, every now and then. Other days are like an airshow with loud engines overhead as planes go this way and that way. I’m not used to such a commotion. I often seek peace while enjoying the woods; unless of course, a woodland creature decides to make its presence known. That obnoxious anthropogenic thunder of horsepower took a while to become a familiar part of my surroundings.
Once considered a nuisance, the jets remind me of my brother. Paul loved the military jets since he was a child. It was a fascination that I didn’t understand in my youth. However, sometimes they fly so low, I couldn’t help but to be intrigued. He would have loved to visit Congaree. Besides the planes, there are plenty of amphibians for him to harass. I remember family fishing trips where I was on a mission to catch the big one and he was content on getting the drop on a bull frog. Again, it was a fascination that I didn’t understand in my youth. However, sometimes he was successful and I couldn’t help but marvel over the creature.
Since his death, I find that I understand my brother more in these years.
In the sunlight, a green and a yellow butterfly dance together in the sudden stillness of the air. With an otherwise constant breeze today, they must have waited a while for that moment. Time passes, in another moment, a lone butterfly.
Second Personal Perspective
When I was a younger, I could have summed my ethics and values in a few short sentences. I saw the world in black and white. I saw the world filtered through the dogma that was bestowed upon me. Life experience challenged those principles on many occasions and life continues to challenge my values and ethics today. Change is inevitable. Through the years, I found a tendency to see the world more clearly through shades of grey. With that said, I’ve found more questions than answers. Continue reading “Second Personal Perspective”
First Personal Perspective
Introspection, sometimes the hardest of tasks, can help us understand or remind us why we are in the field of natural resource management. Defining one’s values can help us understand ourselves within this field of study and help us understand others. Values allow us to understand what is important.