My happiest moments are those spent in Nature.  Always was, and always will be. There is nothing so invigorating for me to spend time with the wild and in the wild places. I have spent hours of my life connecting to the wildlife in all its forms, and learning the lesson of its spirit, its totem.

I have with love and endurance tamed the wild, to the point of great risk, like laying my head on the belly of a wild beast as we lay in a paddock together, to having wild birds take food from my hands and even walk into my homes, to patting possums, squirrels and having conversations with snakes and goannas, I have even had a bull race to a gate I was leaning on and kiss me on the lips, with thank fullness and passion, and that is a true story!, I’ve grieved with cows when their young have died, and have gone through that process with them for days, and helped them to give birth, so many very special moments, swim around in my head.

Yet nothing quite prepared me for the random encounter with a visiting native sugar glider, the sweetest little animal I have ever connected with. This little one arrived onto the verandah and came consecutively for a week or so. It took banana and grain filled bread from my hand, it stared at me with its huge eyes and its essence was one of the deepest trusts I have ever experienced, I patted her, spoke with her and she was not afraid. I adored her little feet and hands that had the extension of skin that helped her fly. She was such a polite little eater, and grateful for the food I offered her. Her fur was beautifully soft and I could have got lost in her huge soft eyes.

Something so small and vulnerable taught me its energy, one of trust and faith, this little mammal, takes off, spreads its arms and legs, into the darkness of night, takes a leap of faith, and lands safely due to its skin that is designed to help it parachute through the air. Its message was clearly one that life totally supports me, so whenever I need to hand over my trust,  this little angel of the night reminds me, like her, to take a leap of faith, and know that I will end up exactly where I am mean too. Thank you for visiting me, and teaching me about vulnerability, trust and faith.

~  © Astarté Earthwise