I Am A Pray Animal
/By Jeanette Mayo
As a lifelong champion worrier and trauma survivor, I have resonated with prey animals in my perception of them as skittish, hypervigilant, anxious creatures. Often, I greet squirrels and rabbits with a cheeky “Hello, owl food!”, since I have seen the evidence many times. Yet I am also aware of how successfully prey animals shake off their distress after escaping from a predator; they do not live in a constant state of fear. Wishing some of this ease for myself, and inspired by my love of word play, some months ago I began playing with the idea of calling myself a “pray” animal instead. What would my relationship with my fear be if I thought of myself as a pray animal?
Greg Meyer’s recent message acknowledges that it’s hard not to worry, but it’s also hard not to pray – because prayer is a stance, a way of being, something we already do. The goal is not to pray more, or worry less, but for life to become a prayer. We are already pray animals. I felt compelled to return to my initial wonderings and flesh them out a bit more. I share them with some images of a delightful and enormous bunny I met in a field of flowers back in June.
I am a prey animal.
Foraging for nourishment,
Body poised in perpetual flinch.
Vigilant,
Perceiving the invisible.
Waiting in wince, frozen in flee,
Dancing with danger, which always passes—mostly.
Alert and aware,
I know my place in the web.
It is not my time yet.
What if
What if
I am a pray animal.
Foraging for nourishment,
Grazing for grace,
At ease with enough.
I shall not want.
Alert and aware,
I lie down in green pastures—I shall not fear.
Body poised in perpetual welcome,
Curiosity is the cure.
Perceiving the invisible,
I know my place in the web:
Now is my time, the only time.
What if
What if
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