Signs and Portents

I live on 5.88  acres in rural New Hampshire. One of the benefits is my property borders 77 acres of landlocked (read undeveloped) forest. Over my 30+ years here I have seen all kinds of wildlife in my proverbial front (and back) yard, ranging from moose to moles. A mama black bear with two cubs lives behind me and visits on occasion.

That said, animal sightings are still rare enough for me to think of them as more than the wonder they already are. For me, they are messages from the Universe that I try to understand.

Here's an example. In 2013, a very special woman who had been like a second mom to me passed away. The day I got the news I saw a deer. All of a sudden I was seeing deer, often a pair, on almost a daily basis. This went on with regularity for a couple of weeks.

I absolutely felt this was my mom and second mom making sure I understood they were still watching over me with love. I still see the occasional pair of deer and I persist in believing it's my moms sending love. Here's a pic of two who visited me recently at a friend's house.

 So lately the Universe has been sending me wild turkeys. Not just a few mind you. Day after day of flocks numbering anywhere from 10 to 30+ birds.

At first I just figured it was a bumper year for them, but when I made that observation to friends they all commented they hadn't seen many, if any, at all. Every picture (and video!) I am posting below was taken by me (favorite piece of tech... phone with camera for sure!) on my property from late September to right before Thanksgiving.

I had an absolute blast sharing this video of turkeys flocking up my driveway a couple of days before Thanksgiving. It was already funny but the timing made it hilarious (timing is everything, you know).

And just two days after the turkey holiday I saw not one, but two, huge flocks as I was driving to a friend's house. She is a devout animal lover so I mentioned the sightings to her knowing it would brighten her day. Her reply? "I have yet to see a wild turkey this year."

This left me really feeling all these turkeys are a message from the Universe directly to me. The question naturally becomes, "What is the Universe trying to tell me?"

If the Universe is expending this energy just to call me a turkey, all I can say is at least I'm a wild one!

Here's what I think: Taking the timing of my turkey infestation into consideration, I believe the Universe is reminding me to prioritize being thankful. Daily struggles can make all of us lose sight of the things for which we should be grateful. The turkeys are telling me my attitude should always reflect gratitude.