There wasn't much to it just the hill and me and this thing called nature...but that was everything I needed in that moment and exactly what I was looking for.
Through necessity, I have to put a lot of effort into my job and that takes time and effort and physical and mental energy and it's the latter which I find the most draining. I don't struggle to do it, I'm good at my job and applying the elements I've learned throughout life which assist me to find efficiency and productivity, however it saps my energy at times...and one of my ways to regain that energy is to go and do my other job.
I cull feral pests on behalf of a cattle farmer on a property in the hills above the city in which I live; it's a stunning property of rolling hills, a small lake fed by a couple creeks and beautiful scenery all around...the best thing is there's no one else there, just me...and some cows, kangaroos, deer, foxes, rabbits, hares and snakes; no fucken people.
I'm good at my job and use my culling rifle to good effect, but it's not that which brings me the benefits I'm looking for, it's being out there in nature and the way that causes my shoulders to relax, the complexities of my professional job to dissipate and melt away so my my mind and soul can find some peace.
I arrived around 17:30h and headed out on foot to see what I could see, I mean targets to shoot, and after an hour or so settled on the side of a hill to wait for the sun to set. I was glassing (with binoculars) the land around me when a glance over my shoulder revealed the sunset which caused me to put down my binoculars...I can't resist the amazing free show nature puts on each night, so I sat and enjoyed it.
There was just a sliver of light to the west when I brought my mind back to the task and I set out to do some shooting.
I shot nine kangaroos and a fox that night and left the property around 22:00h to head home and clean my gun. Ok, that was a joke, the gun doesn't get cleaned that late at night, I'm not that conscientious...I did that on Sunday. It was a reasonable night from a shooting perspective though, all head shots, clean kills, and the farmer was happy when I reported in with the numbers; I also felt a little less wound up from the stresses of my professional job and that's the main thing.
Nature plays a big role in my life, I turn to it for solace, comfort, enjoyment, peace and quiet and it always delivers. I know others feel the same and many do not so I thought I'd pose the question...What role does nature play in your life specifically?
Feel free to comment below if you'd like to.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own