That one time I was at a cult Part II

blackvelvetroses (31)in #life • 7 years ago (edited)

We weren’t allowed to imbibe it in drinking, drugs and there was no cell phone reception… Sounds a bit like rehab, but it was more like a little Amish village in the snow. The Internet was sparse and I deliberately took this as an opportunity to take a break from responding to emails and abstain from most social interactions electronically for an entire month. I retreated and hibernated like a bear, taking a break from the hustle and bustle of San Francisco.

I didn’t know anybody there at first, so I felt more connected with nature and one animal friend. There was this big fluffy squirrel that would eat outside while I would eat breakfast inside the dinine hall. We would both look at each other from time to time, curiously. He would munch away and make a stack of acorn shells. I saw him on a regular basis in the mornings and appreciated that we didn’t have to speak to each other over coffee. We had a silent understanding.

I walked in the snow and noticed lots of animal tracks. Deer, wild turkey, mice, maybe even bear and moose. I never saw these animals though, just evidence that they had been on the same trail before me. I wanted to see them but never did, they remained mysterious, part of a different world than us humans.

On one of my last days of being at the cult, I got really excited because I saw three huge animal tracks that were made by another human. and again I never knew who created this track as I never saw them in action. I felt that I was no longer alone in this experience of feeling connected with the animals. There was another person who had seen the same tracks as me, and played a funny joke that a dinosaur sized turkey had walked on the hillside!