A Deer Named Kitten and Comfort Zones

My property borders a state wildlife refuge on two sides. I have an acre backyard with two dozen fruit trees, a dozen blueberry bushes, nuts, wine grapes, strawberries, you name it. As you can imagine it’s known on critter Yelp as the best buffet in town.

Soon after I moved here last summer a doe befriended me. She had a late season male fawn, much smaller than the rest. She would frolic and play with me when I was outside, or grub on the decadent orchard findings, while her son curled comfortably in a patch of grass by my back deck just under my bedroom window.

I called him my Kitten.

And was truly honored that this Mama trusted me enough to bring her hunters dream so close.

They disappeared for the winter and spring, but one day last month I was overjoyed to see that the fuzzy nub antlered buck who was curled under my window was Kitten! Following his Mama’s lead he plays tag with me to the amazement of my boys who never believed me because last years antics always seemed to occur during school hours.

When Mama kicked Kitten out so she could use the nursery for her new offspring, he knew he had a home in my backyard. He knew it was safe; that a “friend” lived there.

Steemit is becoming a comfortable online home to many of us. The support and encouragement we so freely give and receive here just feels really good. The financial rewards nurture this out of us, yes, but regardless of the reasons Steemit is a warm community to many of us, and as we form our “tribes”, we feel a sense of belonging which is difficult to find in today’s society.

We feel comfortable within our tribes, and begin opening up. We feel compelled to share on a deeper level. This allows us to be ourselves, and reach out in ways we never would have considered elsewhere in the online world.

Had Kitten not felt “at home” in my yard, he never would have stretched the stay away from humans stigma the animal kingdom generally adheres to. He never would have danced with a human.

Stretch your legs out and dance with something new this week. You just might find a new style you’d like to master.