Errands with a Fox

One afternoon I perched in a tree watching a fox. The sun was setting and the long shadows were scattered across the forest floor. The deep orange of her coat flickered in the light as she moved through the trees. For her, this was just a trip to the grocery store, but she was inquisitive. Everything interested her. What’s moving over there? What’s that smell? It was all new and exciting to her, even though she had likely walked that same path hundreds of times when she emerged from her den for an evening hunt. 

I don’t want to fall prey to the unjust anthropomorphism of animals, but this fox was definitely living in the moment. I don’t think that she was worried about whether her pups back in the den were making a mess. She wasn’t worried about what the weather was going to be like next week. She was entirely absorbed in her afternoon stalking. And there wasn’t anything that happened in the woods that did not draw her attention, or spark what I could only feel was distinct curiosity.

The fox is always interested by what is happening around her.

I observed as she slowly picked her way through the brush and disappeared over a small hill. Thirty minutes later, after a flock of snow geese had flown over, she crept back over the top of the hill. Returning on the same trail, she retained that same inquisitive and attentive demeanor. She was curious and she aroused my curiosity. I couldn’t stop watching as she slid across the landscape. I was captivated by her behavior. She had something to teach me. 

Delight and curiosity are abundant in nature. The nuances and intricacies of seemingly everything natural are amazing. When I have the opportunity to observe any natural habitat, there are countless wonderful and unexpected occurrences and objects that call for my attention. What’s that? What’s happening over there? I crane my head or squint my eyes. I attempt to understand and decipher. My focus improves without any conscious decision. I am present and my attentiveness is innate. 

Wonder and excitement are elusive in most everyday routines of the modern world. It seems as we grow older our open-minded curiosity fades into the tedium of adult responsibility. The memories of previous experiences, both good and bad, begin to color our expectations. We feel there is a degree of predictability in our activities, and hence we are not so intrigued by our surroundings. What do we carefully examine at the grocery store? In the office? At the gas station? 

On the edge of a meadow, with the crisp afternoon air blowing through the trees, it was easy for the fox and I to experience our environment with abject curiosity. The challenge for me is when I leave the woods, I find it difficult to do the same. An afternoon watching a curious fox reminded me to slow down and enjoy mundane daily activities. Hopefully the next time I am in a store or at the gas station I can cultivate the curiosity of the fox and regard my environment with the same interest and engagement.