You’re Not That Special
Karen Davis-Brown
8/7/23
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????????????? It took countless consultations with the map and three passes on a gravel back road before I saw what I assumed was the entrance and made my turn. Farther down an even smaller lane was a sign that finally confirmed I was entering a State Wildlife Area.
????????????? The narrow dirt thoroughfare wound between beautiful meadows of wildflowers – coreopsis, black-eyed Susan's, bee balm, tiny white asters – all tall and gangly in the summer heat. Where there was forest, it was predominantly aspen; the only conifers were needle-shedding tamaracks, indicating where the soil was more moist. I imagined the awe-inspiring yellow and gold of these woods in the fall. Cattails and other reeds called attention to places where the land was low and wet. Occasional stands of milkweed in full bloom or already forming seed pods invited the monarchs, and the butterflies showed up in force. It was indeed a wildlife paradise.
????????????? However, most of this beauty was inaccessible to me, by vehicle or on foot. There were two hunter’s trails (hunting is allowed in State Wildlife Areas, with proper permits) and one trail leading to a small pond where the “spring” part of the name originated. Otherwise, the understory was high and full of young trees and shrubs. The meadows sported grasses and flowers above my waist. The low areas, except for the pond, had no clear boundaries between where a step was safe and where it would sink who-knows-how deep into the mud.
????????????? And that is fine with me. In fact, I love that there are places designated and maintained for deer, foxes, coyotes, bears, wolves, and other creatures, with only a condescending nod to the human need for access. It used to all be theirs before Europeans showed up with their arbitrary and conceptual boundaries, and the big machines they used to push their way around on the land they claimed to own within those lines. Though humanly created, these areas send a message that humankind needs to hear and respect. I overheard someone say once to a person she was with,? “You’re special, but you’re not that special.” Neither are we, though in our presumption of dominance and our ignorance of our role as one species among many on this planet, we don’t remember or believe it. Today I was reminded, and I was grateful.