A doe has been in the back garden since yesterday afternoon, her front hooves tucked under her like a cat, her ears trimmed in black rotating like the disks of an observatory. Her eyes are dark and luminous, ringed with long thick black eyelashes. Why she is there, I do not know.
With dear friend Paula at the house for afternoon tea, we mused on the deer settled in the asters. Is she near death, about to give birth (wrong season), hit by a car? As we wrapped up our visit, Paula said, ‘Maybe she will rest and be alright.’
Calling the Ohio Wildlife Center for help, they requested photographs for an assessment of the doe’s condition. All agreed her coat is healthy, her face lovely and alert. Thinking perhaps a hip was dislocated in a possible encounter with a car, it was explained to me deer will recuperate, or attempt to, with a long period of rest.
There’s been a lot of resting going on in Alexander Technique class, too. Each session begins with Constructive Rest. It’s week ten of the semester—an operetta was performed by several AT students over the weekend, dancers are preparing for their upcoming concert, and academic demands are high for all.
To each of us today, those with two legs and those with four, rest well and be restored.