August 27
Two rabbits appeared separately this morning during my walk. One appeared by the garden and it promptly hopped away into the field of weeds as I approached. I watched him leap, his furry body shaping into a crescent as he went airborne and landed gently in the grass, his white tail flickering in his brief dance. After a few leaps he was gone, the rustling of the weeds fading the deeper he went.
The second rabbit I saw as I finished my walk where there is an expanse of grass along the path to the parking lot. He was comfortably nestled in the blades of softness and did not move as I passed. I paused temporarily to study him, and watched his nose twitch as if he was nibbling, on the grass perhaps. His body of soft, brown fur was shaped almost like a football that had landed in the field and disappeared from the players. He probably thought he was camouflaged, but I had seen him, because I make it my aim to be observant of my surroundings.
When I continued my walk, I met with another walker and excitedly pointed and exclaimed: “There’s a rabbit ahead!” He was thankful and grew excited as well. I laughed to myself because I wondered how a delicate creature, like a rabbit, could create so much enthusiasm that I would tell a stranger about it.
Many people walk their dogs through the park, another set of furry, soft creatures. I watch as fellow walkers, usually other dog owners, stop and compliment these other strangers on their pet and strike up a conversation. Though I am not a dog person as I prefer cats (and I have yet to see anyone walking their cat), there are rare occasions I compliment the owner on his or her pet because I find the animal rather striking.
We are captivated by animals. We pause and watch a fox and try to follow it with our gaze to see where it goes. Chipmunks swiftly appear and disappear through the grassy paths and I’m attracted to their cuteness, despite the fact they are rodents.
The animals do nothing, are unaware of our admiration, and could not care less even if they did understand. There are some animals, like dogs, capable of unconditional love, but there remains a communication barrier. Yet we are overcome with joy when we see such creatures. We know that dogs are used as therapy to bring comfort to residents of nursing homes and children’s hospitals. Smiles appear on otherwise desperate faces of pain and loneliness when these animals enter the room. There is something comforting about animals that we have yet to fully understand. We just know it exists.
And so the rabbits simply continue to nibble on the grass and exist while we wonder if they care at all that we delight in them.
Follow Emma Kathryn Harris on Facebook and Instagram.
