The Mountain Man

For two weeks now, I have been at our family's cabin in the Catskill Mountains of NY State, with my 2 dogs, a computer, some cameras and some very nice weaponry. (for Bears and for target).

So, in many respects, I am living a solitary life as a "Mountain Man".

But recent events make me realize just how much like a mountain I am.

A mountain cannot move. It can't get up and go somewhere else.

The forces around it pound it mercilessly. Rain, hail, lightning, erosion, wind.

All it an do is stand there and take all that comes.

While it does, it becomes a home for many things. Plants and Trees, lakes and streams. Fish and Birds and butterflies and squirrels, and countless other living things. They take root there and find a home.

So much like me.

I stand here strong and defiant against the forces that rage and try to wear me down. And they do.

At the same time, I try to hold onto the good and the decent. The living and the beautiful. My trees. My birds. My clear cool water. To try to give them a home to find secure.

But every day, the winds blow. Storms rip through and fell trees. Lightning strikes and burns my forests to the ground.

And still I stand.

And over time, I will be worn down by erosion and the sands of time, and become a plain, or other featureless piece of geography.

Because a mountain cannot stand alone against the onslaught.

It can only hold out as long as it can.