Well, I am Ma Kettle. I've always raised my chicks in the living room, because it's the only place that stays warm enough consistently. As it turns out, though, I'm taking that approach to a whole new level by raising ducklings in the living room.
They're only a week old, but Christ, do they love water. This fact was pointed out to me by Sir Permaculturing some time ago, but it only hit home when I saw them in action. It does not bode well for furnishings, soft or hard.
But it's good for the waterfowl.
Without anthropormorphising them, I think it's fair to say that you can tell when an animal is in its element. Believe me, if you had ducklings squeaking in straw not a metre from where you sit to work each day, you'd agree. The enthusiasm, the group effort, the social carry-on. It's delightful.
But we are animals too. How can we tell when a human's in its element? We don't run past with frogs in our mouths, like my hens. We don't play head-butting games like my goats. And we don't splash endlessly in water like the ducks.
So, how? How can we tell when we are in our element?
Are you in your element?
It's an open question, but I hope, for all our sakes, we have some answers.
My sister in law raised turkeys in her storage room for a while. It was funny to see how it went. Most of the time it was ok, but there was the odd time that all hell broke loose.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of being in one's element. I find myself in my element when I am in front of the computer, in the gym or outside.
I know that isn't a solid answer, but it is just the way it is.
The best way to figure out if someone is in their element is to see if they are utterly engrossed in what they are doing. They are oblivious to what is going on around them. That's what I think.
Iain
I agree, Iain :) When we lose ourselves in something, we're in our element. I suppose this is when we're at our most "animal", our least "human", in that we forget our own existence. And those times are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAlida,
ReplyDeleteThat is a good way of putting it most animal.
I completely agree. When you have those animal moments, it truly is a beautiful thing because you only focus on what it as hand, and nothing else.
Great comment Alida.