Animal Watching

Let’s be honest, I didn’t really pick this question to answer it. I’m neurodivergent so I’m already overthinking what we mean by “wild” animals, but I do want to discuss what goes through my mind when I see animals.

To go ahead and answer the question though….yes? Since they’re non-domesticated wouldn’t squirrels technically be considered wild animals? But if we’re looking for fun answers, I’ve seen bears in Tennessee, geese in Colorado, armadillos in Arizona, and deer damn near everywhere just to name a few. Fun fact: I had a friend who accidently domesticated a coyote thinking it was a stray dog…a very Floridian thing to do.

What I really wanted to talk about is how I love watching animals simply be animals. No technology, no appointments, no constant overload of information, just vibes. An ability to be bored and be okay with it in a way that humans reject. Obviously, there’s more in life that humans want/need to distract themselves from, but we set that system up (as an African-American woman I’m using “we” very loosely here, but you get what I mean). I think alot of human nature can be explained by observing animals since humans are just animals that tricked themselves into paying to exist.

Seriously though, the most meaningful difference between animals and humans is that humans have a severely wider range of choice than animals. It also woudn’t be a stretch to say animals often have even fewer choices because of human intervention. But the ability to accept natural boredom is a lost art whether it’s a choice or not. We exchanged peace of mind for endless entertainment and stimulation we weren’t designed to experience.

I’ve gotten much better at being able to be bored in public. Going for walks without listening to music, eating alone at restaurants with no book or phone, sitting on the beach and staring at nothing without a single thought in my head. However, at home, I still feel the urge to distract myself. I suppose home is always where it was hardest to cope, so it’s not much of a surprise that I still struggle with it. But for the first time in a while, I was able to actually finish a book. I didn’t need a bigger distraction like tiktok or watching some sort of drama. I returned to my inner child that mostly read books and did creative things for fun. I missed her dearly.

I’m not sure that I’ll ever be able to truly savor the magic of being bored at home, but I can still return to something simpler. I can still create an environment much safer for my own peace of mind.