Seeing the world like a lover

I grew up in the Rocky Mountain of Colorado and as a child all I cared about was animals and their environment. I have spent most of my life outside watching birds and wildlife my play ground was the mountains that and my friends were whatever I could find and watch. As I have grown my love of nature has shaped me. But I found a friend that could truly share my love of nature with me he was young and fierce and would not conform to anyone. He held the wildness of the world in his eyes and I fell in love. He taught me how to trust and how to simply be with the world. He taught me to negotiate and meet people and half way. But the greatest thing he did was recue me from a dark time in my life. I look back and remember that once I met him I became stronger he gave me something to work for and love

I still think of how the sun would shine on him making him glow like fire his chestnut coat flashing in the sun. His body rippled with the strength and power of sure nobleness. It is amazing to work with such a powerful animal. He and I learned to communicate and work together once I had him nature became even more amazing. I took long trail rides across the west and played in fields and jumped over logs. Everything about nature as etched in him. People talk about training horses but he was not tame he was wild but he choose to be my friend and take me on a journey of learning and understanding.

I have read many books on nature and the environment but Anny Dillard has a way of drawing me into her books like few have before, she had me with her description of cat and kept me throughout the pages we read. One of the things that really got me was her story about her time on the farm where she decided to draw a horse (page 20). She drew the horse thinking it was good. I love to draw and I love horses. To draw them you must first understand them otherwise it will not look realistic. Her point was that you must understand something though out and truly see it. The whole chapter was about seeing. What if we could truly see the world, if I were as good at observing everything like I were at observing horses I would learn so much.

She spoke of the blind learning to see and how some embraced it. To understand and see nature we must learn to see again like the blind that get their sight. If I could learn to truly see nature then I could reproduce as well as the animals I draw. Anny also allowed me to see a little more of nature through her writing, she gives you a since of excitement and interest when you read her work and I finish reading wanting to go out and observe nature as she does.

My relationship with the environment is that we are one and the same just like me and my horse. I want to express nature through drawing and as Dillard says I need to learn how to truly see nature. Once you can see nature as “lover does” them you have truly learned to see.