LETTERS FROM LOCKERLY: What we miss

Published 1:41 pm Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Last Friday afternoon I took a walk to clear my head and try to organize my thoughts around a topic for this article. Walking outside has a way of burning off the fog in my brain and focusing my attention to a topic. As I was leaving the Pinetum section of Lockerly, along the paved path, I was getting into a rhythm and taking some notes in my journal for potential topics. For whatever reason, I chose to stop amid my walk for a pause and looked from my right toward my left. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a rounded, black bump on the path, and I thought to myself, “That’s strange. Why is there a bump in the pavement?” 

Then my brain caught up with my eyes and I realized it was a banded water snake.

Water snakes come in a variety of colors, ranging from brown to black with yellow to white outlining the banded pattern on their back.  This one was the closest to all black I think I’ve ever seen, and it wasn’t until I really looked closely that I noticed the greyish-white banded coloring, and the white up under its chin.  

At first the snake seemed frozen in place, not even sticking its tongue out to get a sniff at me.  I kept my distance safe from a strike, because though water snakes are non-venomous, I still didn’t feel like getting bitten by a snake on such a beautiful afternoon. I was standing behind it, staring up the length of its body.  I began to move around toward the front to get a better look.  It was as if the snake finally realized I had seen it amid its asphalt camouflage and it began to move away from me.

I watched as it gracefully “swiggled” its way off the pavement into a pile of leaves.  (“Swiggled” is my made-up word for the magical way snakes move – sort of a wiggle, slither, but with an unmatched grace and ease.)  As the snake vanished into a leaf pile, a thought crossed my mind – how many other snakes, lizards, birds, cool bugs, and other awesome natural wonders had I walked by in the last 10 minutes and not noticed?

For the last six months or so, I have been busier than I thought was possible.  Honestly, until this particular Friday afternoon, I felt like I hadn’t had a moment to stop and look at anything, let alone to philosophically ponder nature’s mysteries.  This snake brought a welcome reminder that I need to do that more, especially as the holidays rapidly approach.  My interaction with this snake only lasted a few minutes, but for those few minutes, nothing else was on my mind.  I was present and focused on this one creature in this one moment.  

I challenge you to do the same.  Try to find just one hour of one day a week to break away from your hectic routine and slow down.  Whether you walk or find a quiet place to sit and watch the world, make sure you do it with intention.   Take your time.  Look around.  Be present in this experience.  Ponder the mysteries the many writers and philosophers before us thought about while they explored nature.  Of course, Lockerly is a great place for this, but there are many in the Milledgeville area; go wherever is convenient for you.  I cannot guarantee you will see a water snake, or any wildlife for that matter, but I can guarantee it will be the best use of one hour of time you spend all week.  

— Kensey Amerson is the director of education at Lockerly Arboretum