This morning a miracle happened.
A wild Indian elephant, fully tusked, passed saunteringly through the forest in our backyard!
What a creature.
I tripped on a tree root in my thongs running out to see him and flew to the ground. I ripped the skin off my left big toe. A happy reminder of this blessed day. He was beautiful. I've never seen any creature as big and powerful in the wild in my life. There is something about an animal wild that is pure magic. The same animal in captivity does not carry the same energy, the same....sheer wildness and beauty.
He was pursued by running hollering excited schoolboys but he hadn't a care in the world. They were like pesky flies to him, he was moving so slowly, yet they were running. I couldn't get over how incredibly slow he seemed to move his massive body forward. Each columnular leg lifting so leisurely to be placed in the next step, like in slow motion. Even when he stopped to turn around and look at them to see if they were still on him, he turned around so slowly. I guess when you're as big as an elephant, your movements look relatively slow, because you are so huge.
Tears were streaming down my face for the wonder of it all. It was early morning, around 6:30, and the air was all misty and magical like. He then stepped into the river and crossed through the shallow water to the other side as we and about 40 other people watched on in true wonder and amazement.
He stopped once on his way across to suck water up in his long trunk and spray it off to the side almost to show off to us "hey, ya, i'm an elephant, see, what the big deal?".. and tail a swaying, his rear end disappeared into the mist on the other side of the river.
wow.
I guess when you're that big, you don't need to run, you are bigger and stronger than ANYTHING! and yet elephants are supposed to be very sensitive and intelligent creatures, and aren't violent unless threatened or unhappy (i guess that's like any animal almost).
i was awestruck!
It has been 7 or 8 years, they tell me, since an elephant has passed through here in the forest between the river and the ashram. They used to come alot, in the old days, through the village, until civilization and noise and development became too much and they stopped coming.
So it was quite an event that it happened, since it has been so long since the last time.
and it may be the last time for a very long time.
Gosh they're beautiful.
i'm working on getting a picture of it from my friend Sylvie who had the presence of mind to run back for her camera. I was too dumbfounded and frozen in place to move. He should be showing up soon here any day, Mr. Elephant.
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