close encounter

This morning I nearly collided with a white-tailed deer. What made this close encounter with a female Odocoileus virginianus unusual was the fact that this near miss occurred not in my vehicle but on foot. I was almost at the end of my two-mile, very brisk walk along Otter Creek Road at Radnor Lake when I was startled by a sudden movement just a few feet ahead of me. Nice job of camouflage, deer. The doe eyed me warily but - surprisingly - did not immediately dart away. After I apologized aloud for disturbing her while she was grazing for her breakfast, we amicably parted ways.

This near miss was clearly my fault - I was preoccupied as I prayerfully pondered how to proceed regarding a pressing problem. (Ahh, alliteration.) Ironically, I had been thinking about Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." Clearly, I could benefit from a little more (make that a lot more) directional help from above, lest I bowl over one of God's creatures in my haste to find my way along life's paths.