This Is Why I Walk in Nature

The Texas hill country stretched before me, alive with secrets. I clutched my binoculars, each step revealing nature's hidden theater. What began as a simple walk transformed into three divine encounters. Each one a window into another world.

My first encounter, the ant colony.

No movement around the hill's entrance until I approached. Then, activity. Sentinels emerged, forming a perfect semicircle like miniature guards protecting their kingdom. They sensed me. I stepped back; they retreated. I stepped forward; they reappeared. One brave scout ventured out to investigate the giant shadow falling across their world. I held my breath, watching their silent communication unfold. A civilization beneath my feet.

Further along, I locked eyes with a cow standing peacefully in her pasture. She mooed. She wasn’t alarmed. It was more like an announcement. She approached deliberately, still calling, as if broadcasting my presence to unseen companions. Was I being introduced or warned against?