We have coyotes in my neighborhood.

I’ve lived in this house for four years and only in the last two months have I heard the coyotes close by.

They howl at night and it’s not a pleasant sound at all sometimes.  Some nights it really does sound blood curdling.

Of course, that’s my interpretation of the sound.  I don’t like it because I associate it with them hunting.  That’s the meaning I give it.  And I’ve heard them barking as they’re on the hunt and then the sound of an animal like a deer screaming as they kill it.  Sorry to be graphic, but it is VERY intense to hear.

So now, any of the howling gets associated with the sound of the deer screaming.  And it triggers a fear response – it’s not a problem, it’s not an issue, it’s just an experience.

And, when my little kitty, Sattva, is out there on the hunt, and not coming in and it’s getting later, and my dog Bodhi is hearing the coyotes and knows Sattva is out there, it’s tense.  We’re concerned until Sattva comes in and sometimes he doesn’t.

Last night my boy stayed out all night.  I didn’t hear the coyotes, so that was good.  The first winter I had him he was out one night and my neighbor heard a cat howling like it had been attacked, and then I was out there with them in our boots and bathrobes and flashlights looking for any sign of Sattva in the snow.  I was scared of happening upon a horrible bloody scene, but Sattva was fine and just hiding from us.  He came home soon after.

I was so relieved I cried.

I notice the temptation to go to fear and to worry about Sattva, but I also notice that I don’t have to.

I see the choice in my mind.

I place my trust in God, not in Sattva’s personality or intelligence, although I know that God’s Infinite Intelligence is in Sattva’s mind too, how could it not be?

Living out in the country has its unique challenges.  I can’t put out my bird feeders until the bears hibernate.  I can’t have a compost because of the bears.  I can’t walk after dark because of bears, bobcats, coyote packs and other predatory critters.  Still, I love it here.  I really do.

I don’t live in fear, but I pay attention and I’m not reckless.

We have to respect nature.

AND we can always remember that there’s nothing outside of us.  Ever.

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