For many years I battled with crushing depression which I believed was due mostly to a chemical imbalance.
What I discovered in later life is that my depression was almost certainly due to events in my early years over which I had no control.
.
Psychologically, I remained trapped in that mindset, unable to break away, as if I was a puppet whose strings were manipulated by certain people.
Once the last of them was gone, I became my own person, free at last.
.
Finding that freedom was euphoric and I worried that I would one day come down with a bump.
So far I have not.
But life is depressing, with bad news at every turn.
I feel deeply for so much suffering.
.
As summer approaches, I think of wildfires.
The list of things to worry or feel sad about is endless.
Once, all of this would have sent me over the edge into a seemingly bottomless pit of despair.
.
Lately, I find myself irritated by trivial annoyances and inclined to behave obsessively, but I can catch myself now and tell myself to stop.
Without discounting tragic events, one must learn perspective, there being nothing I can do to remedy matters.
It is best to acknowledge whatever it is and find some useful thing I can do.
.
Mostly it involves caring for animals or keeping a garden that benefits birds and insects.
Human causes will always have more support than those which concern other species, so in whatever way I am able, it is those other causes that I focus on.
.
Often it is an almost insignificant contribution such as supplying a snack for a visiting cat.
Or rescuing a chipmunk from said cat’s jaws.
.
The other day I happened to glance up in time to notice His Wickedness seize one of our Zoomer friends.
At such times I move with speed.
Nibbs was distracted by my shout and the chipmunk in question shot off under a bush with cat in close pursuit.
Judging by its flight, I assumed that the chipmunk was not physically hurt.
In situations where the prey has a serious injury, it better not to interfere as the result could be an animal crawling off to die slowly.
.
You can’t always count on being able to catch the injured creature.
And you may not be able to save it, even if you do.
This time of year, there is every chance it may be a nursing mother.
My reaction is automatic. Once last year I saw Peanut the fox catch a squirrel. I immediately banged on the window and the squirrel escaped.
Grant said I had deprived the fox of a meal. He was right, of course.
.
But what about if it had been Little Red?
Or Scooter?
.
We haven’t seen Scooter for some time and were thinking the worst again, but yesterday Grant noticed her drag mark on the driveway.
No other creature has a track like it, so we were greatly cheered.
.
Keeping an eye out for Scooter, I often catch sight of other creatures. There is a particular squirrel that has a very lovely apricot-coloured tail.
It flashes past, then disappears.
I have yet to get a photograph of it.
.
It’s possible that this is he, but his saucy behaviour makes me doubtful.
.
“No nuts, missus?”
.
There is no doubt in my mind that this little chap knew I was watching and that it posed for me. They know where those nuts come from! This individual is recognisable by the dark line around its muzzle.
Perhaps I’ll call him Ringo.
Good news that Scooter is still around.
Thank you, Carolyn, for the wonderful post and stunning photos of the creatures you are helping.
I love your wise idea of doing something helpful for the animals and in your garden, and not getting upset by the events you have no control over or can change for the better.
Your affinity with the animals is admirable, and no doubt helpful in keeping depression at great distance!
Joanna
Thanks
I think you’ve unraveled the ‘secret’ Carolyn. There will always be those things that leave us sad and powerless. We can recognise them, but we can also conclude that those things are out of our control and that there is nothing we can do to change them. Ringo? That’s a pretty name for a pretty squirrel.
I’m always relieved to hear that Scooter is alive. I appear to have formed a strange transatlantic connection with that groundhog.
This bit, ‘Lately, I find myself irritated by trivial annoyances and inclined to behave obsessively’ is very much the story of my life.
Best wishes, Pete.