Finding comfort amid the hustle and howls

A shared quiet moment on the trail.

They were howling at nearly midnight.

And again, at noon.

Last night, far too close for comfort as I walked my tiny-terrorist-turned-scaredy-cat dogs.

Today, as cyclists, runners, dog walkers, and human walkers traveled by.

To hear the coyotes in the field at night is growing more common, I think.

To hear them in daylight is rare and strikes me as odd.

Maybe they were lamenting the coming change as Colorado’s 60-degree temps are about to blow away.

Maybe they were celebrating a lunchtime kill.

Maybe they were, as Internet wildlife experts suggest, seeking a pack member or establishing territory.

Maybe they were just happy January is complete.

Whatever the reason for today’s mid-day chorus, I was surprised to turn a corner on the trail near the coyote/cattle field and see a doe quietly munching grass.

She was huddled away in a tangle of small trees.

When I stopped to watch because I saw movement and immediately thought, ‘That’s a blood-thirsty coyote coming to nab my tiny terrorist dogs,’ she gently raised her head and smelled the air in my direction.

She stood there eyeing me as I eyed her. Again, cyclists, runners, dog walkers, and human walkers going on by.

It was a shared quiet moment in an otherwise animated world.

Then, she dropped her head again and began eating.

One day, maybe I’ll be as comfortable amid the hustle and howls.