As I’ve mentioned a very long time ago on this blog, I walk every day. But lately, I’ve been mostly walking at night. I like the dark, and I enjoy the quiet and the calm.
I also enjoy all the animals that come out at night.
My neighborhood is full of them. So far, I’ve come across rabbits, bats, possums, and the occasional stray cat. I’ve also, and perhaps I’ll do another post later about this story, come across a pair of huge owls.
And it’s funny how unique the personalities of these different animals are. The rabbits are extremely calm and let you walk close before they hop away. I feel like a few pet rabbits got loose, and these are their offspring.
The possums, by contrast, are quite skittish, and I only ever see them quickly going across the street or sneaking around nearby people’s front porches.
And as to the cats and bats, they are both just kind of in their own little world. The cats will be chilling in lawns and just stare at me as I pass, and the bats flutter around streetlights, squeaking up a storm. They seem to be having a good time.
I know that we humans have mostly domesticated the world. I live in the suburbs, so it’s especially true here, but these little hints of nature are good reminders of how much is happening outside our walls, outside our homes, and that there is still an ecosystem. And when you walk at night, you also get to be a part of that very same ecosystem—or at least that’s the way it feels.
Coolerbs Writes 