Learning to deal with disappointment.

It’s not something we necessarily finish learning, it doesn’t mark the transition from childhood to adulthood, and on some days it feels like it isn’t getting any easier.

But, I feel like I’ve learned to go with the flow more and be more patient.

I’ve learned this in particular from nature. Being grateful for what we have and what the universe offers us, rather than what we feel like we want and need, is healthy. It can help us to be less selfish, more considerate and more generous.

So often, when watching wildlife, my aim, goal, target, will be missed. The other evening I went out to watch a badger sett that I was hoping was active.

By the time it was too dark to see any more I hadn’t seen a single badger. But I had an enchanting encounter with  muntjac deer that grazed mere feet from me, unaware of my dark profile that I attempted to melt into the trunk of the tree I leaned against.

And a fox bounced and sauntered to within a few feet of me through the sea of bluebells that carpeted the woodland floor. Only after a minute or two did it catch a whiff of my presence and bounce off, its bushy tail whipping up and down as it went.

A few weekends ago, I spent six hours sitting waiting for water voles in a spot where I had seen them with ease before. And in that six hours not even a sniff of water vole. But, lots of lovely people chatted to me and asked why I was sitting knee deep in a stream. A stoat scampered past on the bank, and butterflies braved the cold April weather when the sun was out to get in a quick bit of feeding or searching for a mate or a place to lay their eggs.

If you remain fixed upon a goal then watching wildlife can be filled with disappointment. But if you’re willing to shift your perspective and be grateful, then disappointment can quickly be transformed into joy.

Here’s the water vole that got away.