‘Salvage Rights ~ Chipmunk and Hazelnuts,’ original wildlife art copyright Susan A. Walton, S. A. Walton Studio, Hudson, Florida.

Risks are necessary to achieve rewards - no one ever gets far by being anxious, after all. This little chipmunk is certainly taking his chances by venturing out in the open on this rocky creek bed to snag a cluster of wild hazelnuts that have been fortuitously swept downstream to this spot. He could easily be spotted by an equally opportunistic hawk, but oh, there is no such thing as a hawk so opportunistic that it looks for hazelnuts in improbable places to watch all day in case a chipmunk should dash by looking for them, too. So why fear a hawk is there, when there is no evidence it is, or reason to believe that a hawk has an interest in watching a cluster of hazelnuts? But chipmunks are born to be quick, and are endowed with colors that blend as well with stones as with fallen leaves, with a body shape not unlike a river cobble. Not only do those hazel nuts look like a personally delivered gift from God, there is nothing to fear when you are a creature wonderfully made to match the opportunities you are given- even if there are hawks in the world. It wouldn’t do to ungratefully pass by the opportunities given, because your imagined fears are far greater than the actual risk.

The creek is one I visited with my friend, flint knapper and experimental archaeology enthusiast Larry Kinsella, when he was out looking for chert to make arrowheads in southern Illinois. It was cold, and there were still thin patches of ice still melting at the creek’s edges. If we had stuck with collecting only the safe dry stones ashore out of fear we’d catch a cold by wading into the water, we would have stayed comfortably warm, but the best chert for flint knapping is seldom found in the easiest places. If you want the best, you have to be willing to put up with discomfort. And the best was out there, submerged in freezing water.

The chipmunk was a wild inhabitant loose in the St. Louis Children’s Zoo, which I spotted while on an outing with my niece and nephew. It was darting in and out of the crevices in a drystone retaining wall, grabbing fallen bits of feed that the children were spilling as they were feeding the dwarf goats in the petting zoo. None of the children even noticed the chipmunk as it darted about and gathered up everything that hit the ground.

The hazelnuts were from the bushes planted in my front yard in Illinois, not far from my old studio’s door, and they met the requirements of telling a story about being ready to act upon discovery of an unexpected blessing, rather than being too anxious to dash out there and get it.

One of the fun things about being an artist is creating entire scenes out of miscellaneous collections of objects, memories and stories, study sketches, reference photos, and interesting bits of observed life - and then sharing the results with others, which often brings forth their own almost forgotten memories and stories. Listening to their response to my work leads to fascinating conversations about their experiences which in turn, can be inspiration for yet another work of art. Keep those opportunities to listen wide open, and you will be blessed.

#Opportunity #Communication #Fear #Anxiety #Chipmunks #Hazelnuts #Listening