Seek the Sunny Places

I saw my first spring snake today.

Thorne and I were out for a 3:00 Friday afternoon run--he, dashing in front of me with puppyish glee,  bouncing from scent to scent with flopping ears, I slogging on behind with pounding feet and flapping hair.

For some reason or other, the snake did not catch Thorne's attention.  I suppose the hound in him was much more interested in the deer tracks imprinted deeply in the trail ahead, or the pointer half more entranced by the turkey droppings deposited along the edges of the two-track. In any case, by the time I reached the snake, a little Garter, Thorne had already hopped over him, oblivious to the little life below.

The snake was a slender fellow, about 15 inches long, a thin ribbon stretched out full length in a patch of sunlight.  His head was reared up, his tongue flickering about his lips, his eyes unblinking.  He did not move as my feet thumped closer to him, or even when I, too, had sprung over him.  He was enjoying a patch of warmth and happiness and apparently he was not going to move for much.

I couldn't resist.  Stopping and retracing my steps, I gently touched him with my shoe.  He didn't budge.  I nudged him a little harder.  And then it was as if he was suddenly awakened out of his reverie--beginning a rapid slither out of his sunshine and into the shadows of the swamp several feet away.


During these unpredictable spring days when we might yet have a few flurries in the air or when, a few minutes later, the sun is strong enough to cause the temperature in my greenhouse to rise into the 80s, I often find Thorne, as well, in the sunshine.  He doesn't mope around in the cold dark corners of our log cabin, whining and shivering.  He seeks for the bright places, the cozy places, the golden places.  He basks there, soaking them in, relishing them, contentedly snoozing, his whiskers and toes twitching as he dreams of wild squirrel hunts and tantalizing bunny chases.

And so with the snake.  It is a little early for him to be out, weather-wise.  It frosted every night this week except for one.  Sunday and Monday were days of cold rain.  Thursday was warmish but whipped about by a cool breeze.  But he certainly hasn't gone around grumping about it.  He follows his nose to the happy spots and stays there, peacefully enjoying the moments and moving only out of mere necessity. He finds the haunts that delight him and rests there, not startled in the least by distractions, disruptions, or disagreements.

Oh, that I might learn from these little creatures!  May my instinct be to search for sunlight, not shadows, for joy, not sorrow, for contentment, not resentment.  May I too seek the sunny places--and may I determine steadfastly to stay there.