As I settle down to breath, I take in what I see. I notice, about ten yards off, just West of the Apple tree there is a line of tracks running North to South. From where I sit, I can tell it is a slender trail of almost continuous tracks.
I know right away who it is. It is Deer. I know because this is the trail that Deer always takes.
But does Deer experience it as the same? Does Deer notice that the Snow is not exactly like any Snow that has fallen before? Does Deer notice that this exact combination of light and Wind and cold has never happened before? Is anything ever “the same” for Deer?
Does my expectation of the possibility of sameness blind me to what is unfolding in front of me?