The Wanderer and the Deer

It is near the end of the day, and the sun begins to set. Not too long from now, it will be dark out. The wanderer, facing downtime, decides to go for one of his walks through nature. He has no purpose or plan other than to just wander around nature. He starts to walk and eventually comes across a pathway with trees to each side. He walks upon this pathway when suddenly he encounters a deer. The deer starts running, but then the wanderer stops, and the deer stops shortly there after. 

The deer turns to him and starts looking at him as he starts to look at the deer. They both just stay where they are, fixated on eachother. They move around at points, but they mostly just stay put. Then along comes another deer, and the wanderer is staring intently at 2 deer. Shortly after a 3rd deer follows suit. So now, the wanderer and 3 deer are all staring at each other, fixating upon each other. To the untrained eye or the impatient mind, nothing appears to be happening. It is just a man looking at 3 deer. But inside the wanderer’s mind he isn’t just looking at animals, the wanderer is achieving inner peace. The wanderer sees and feels the presence of God. 

Everything is still, the outside world doesn’t matter, all that matters is the sense of inner peace occurring within himself during this encounter. The wanderer isn’t just looking at the deer though, he takes a glance at the forest and trees surrounding him and the animals in front of him as well, and all he sees and feels is God. God, God, everywhere God. As he basks in his inner peace he wonders what the deer are thinking, are they at peace as well? Do they feel a sense of calmness? Are they just wondering why some crazy guy is staring at them so intently?  

Eventually, however, one of the deer hears a noise piercing from the outside world and is gone. The other two deer start to move back slowly, and the wanderer does the same. The sun is setting and the sky is slowly but surely creeping into darkness. The wanderer walks back home, but the wanderer has changed. Before, the wanderer was walking briskly, now the wanderer walks gently and slowly. The wanderer feels God touching him, he feels a holy presence that lasts past this moment. The encounter with the deer has left the wanderer with a feeling of peace that only God can provide. For that moment, he conquered the noise of the outside world and achieved inner peace and oneness with God, through a chance silent encounter with 3 deer in the forest.