TheBanyanTree: Leaving The Forest

[A. Christopher Hammon]

I was making a 4 a.m. departure from the townhouse on campus where I had 
been staying for the summer session. As I carried my first load of 
luggage out to the car to start my journey back to Louisville, I 
listened carefully for the sounds of wildlife rummaging around the trash 
receptacles at the end of the building or crossing my path on their way 
to the big dumpster at the end of the University Center. I was debating 
whether I should move quietly or noisily as I walked the dimly lit path 
down to where my car was parked when I heard the unmistakable sounds of 
a critter in search of an early breakfast buffet.
 
I have found the campus of Drew University in New Jersey to be a place I 
enjoy when I have the opportunity to be there. Known as "The Forest" 
since its beginnings in the mid-1800s, the campus is built into the edge 
of a wooded preserve. The campus feels like being in a forest with the 
trees overhead and shade loving ferns and hostas covering the ground. It 
is common to see deer wandering around the campus, particularly in the 
mornings and evenings but even at midday. A mama black bear and cub were 
spotted ambling across the campus spring a year ago, a detail we are 
asked to relay to students as part of orientation. Since I do not get to 
be in residence on the campus often (I teach mostly in their virtual 
classrooms and only go to campus for three weeks in the summer and 
sometimes a week in October), I try to go walking on campus ever evening 
as dusk settles in.
 
The second evening I was on campus I was walking about enjoying the 
woods and thinking about how I wanted to approach the next day's class 
session in light of some of the questions the students had raised. As I 
turned a corner not far from the library I heard a rustling by a tree a 
few feet way and paused to see what I might see - I'm just curious that 
way, which has occasionally been embarrassing on college campuses. I 
noticed a little black critter that I took to be a cat or a dog 
rummaging about ... at least until it looked up and I noticed the two 
white stripes extending from forehead to tail. I walked quietly on in 
hopes that I would be permitted to go peacefully on my way. It was as 
close as I have ever come to one of those potentially pungent critters 
in the wild.
 
I saw the animal, or one of his or her colleagues, several more times 
during my evening walks across the campus. Twice I saw him or her 
ambling down the incline in front of the townhouses where I was staying, 
probably on the way the snack bar dumpster at the end of the University 
Center.
 
With summer session classes over I was preparing to head back home, 
about 11 hours driving time away by automobile. As I loaded my car to 
leave I could just see myself accidentally stumbling over that skunk in 
the dark.
 
As I heard the rummaging by the trashcans I told myself that it was 
probably just one of the squirrels or perhaps the turkey I had seen 
wandering around the dorms. Nevertheless, I decided that the bag of 
trash I had would travel home with me before I considered getting close 
enough to the trash bin to toss it in.
 
My bicycle was the last thing to load. As I carried it out and locked 
the door, I heard the sound of a startled critter near my feet. I looked 
down into the eyes of the black-faced critter accented by two white 
stripes. Just my luck. We stood looking at each other for a moment and 
then her/she turned and wandered down the path in the direction of my 
car. I decided to go the other way taking the long way around the 
University Center and approaching my car through the lighted parking lot 
in hopes that my friend veered off toward the snack bar dumpster.
 
The Forest and those who occupy it have been gracious to me again and I 
look forward to my next opportunity to wander its pathways.

Cheers,
Chris


/_________________________________________
A. Christopher Hammon, D.Min.
Administrator, WEOI Online Learning Center //
Wayne E. Oates Institute
A Learning Community Advancing Care for the Whole Person
http://www.oates.org/