Solitude...

     I'm not anti-social...Far from it, just the opposite. I'm an extrovert of the highest degree that thrives on being the center of attention and I tend to be a know-it-all and always want to have the last word. I enjoy the company of others and spirited debate and discussion on just about anything. But, when it comes to my time in the woods...that's a different story...I'm alone, but never lonely.

     When I'm alone, when it's just me and the elements and nature, that's when some of my best conversations take place...my mind never stops, but it does slow in the trees and I feel myself melting into the woods. I find out who I am when I'm perched up a red oak or leaned against an old stump over looking a deer trail. I get to know myself, all of me and my thoughts...some good, some not. I can't find it on a golf course or in the gym or at a movie or even if I'm rabbit hunting with a group of buddies...most of the time, I like being with me and who I've discovered. There's almost something religious about being out here. Cold, hot, wet or dry, fall or winter...Doesn't matter if I bring home antlers or meat... It does something for my soul...it's cleansing and it washes the everyday away. After an evening's hunt, I never go home empty handed. I've gained something each time...a new sight, a new sound, a new experience. A new memory, a new story...I've added to "me" and who I am and I'm better for it...

     There's something to be said for camaraderie, shared experiences and time around a campfire with family and friends...I enjoy the back slapping and laughter, the story telling and suspense with others, but it all fails in comparison to the communion I have with nature when it's just me and my woods..."In solitude, we are least alone"...Lord Bryon-1824