Digging for Buried Treasure...

   I have a lot of deer around my property (and a pair of moose but I rarely see them) and they visit frequently.  After a snow fall I can see their tracks moving from tree to tree looking for food.

  I let the apples, which fall from the big old tree on the left, stay on the ground for this very reason.  They may not be great eating for me but in mid-winter, they are buried treasure for the deer.  Now, after 18 years, these deer know where they can find a meal!

   I can relate quite well to these hungry deer.  I feel that I too move through the landscape, hungry for meaning, digging for buried treasure in the landscape.  Beneath the frozen crust of the obvious and superficial lays a wealth of wisdom if you put in a little effort and dig for it.

   Sometimes, however, things are hidden in plain sight, like these tracks in the snow.  With patience and perseverance, the deer explore their world and they are rewarded, as are we.  Contemplative photographers and hungry deer; we have a lot in common.