Fennerswood Preserve, Stonington, Connecticut
For the animal to be happy it is enough that this moment be enjoyable. But man is hardly satisfied with this at all. He is much more concerned to have enjoyable memories and expectations — especially the latter. With these assured, he can put up with an extremely miserable present. Without this assurance, he can be extremely miserable in the midst of immediate physical pleasure.
~ Alan Watts
(The Wisdom of Insecurity)
I enjoy all the hours of life. Few persons have such susceptibility to pleasure; as a countryman will say, “I was at sea a month and never missed a meal,” so I eat my dinner and sow my turnips, yet do I never, I think, fear death. It seems to me so often a relief, a rendering-up of responsibility, a quittance of so many vexatoius trifles. … It is greatest to believe and to hope well of the world, because the one who does so, quits the world of experience, and makes the world they live in.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
(Journal, May 1843)
I love your chipmunk photos, and the quotations, too. On another topic, I finally got a positive ID on the Gray Catbird that has been visiting my feeder! 🙂
Thank you, Timi! And so happy you got your gray catbird positively identified! 🙂 We lost our internet connection yesterday ~ so frustrating ~ but I got some other stuff done, including cutting Tim’s hair…
I’m sure Tim appreciates his haircut. My internet connection went down yesterday, too. It was annoying and showed me how much I depend on it.
Same here. We lost our internet connection again, and cable TV, last night. I know it’s a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things but… grrr…
Grrrr, indeed. In these time of self-isolating, the internet and streaming or cable TV are the few connections left, besides the phone!
Your wee chipmunk is adorable, and the quotes give much “food for thought”. We have a chipmunk, a son or daughter or grandchild of the original Chippy who is now coming for seeds on the front porch daily.
Thank you, Kathy. I remember Chippy, and a picture of him eating from your hand on your lap. Chippy must have let his descendents know where the good seeds can be had. 🙂 This one finally stopped moving long enough for me to focus the telephoto lens. A very busy little creature.