In October of 2008 my husband and I decided to take a vacation. I had to take it that late because at that time I worked for Global Village Toronto and summers were and still are the busiest time of the year. No one was allowed to take vacation from June til September. In October, when the leaves changed colours and the temperatures went down considerably, it was my turn to get some time off.
I had arranged for with my brother to drive us to the Algonquin Park, leave us there for a week, and then come to pick us up. It was supposed to be a nature powered, freeing and relaxing time. Especially...especially because I was 8 weeks pregnant! We didn't tell a living soul, knowing that our families would not allow me to go on such a trip in that state. The plan worked perfectly. We Arrived at Mew Lake Campground in Algonquin. It was one of the smaller camps, but it had yurts and nice surroundings. There was a lot to do and see. We pitched our tent right by the lake, but also, not to far from the washroom, etc, etc. At breakfast and dinner we would feed birds right out of our hands. They would fly in and sit on us. Deer was not too shy. We were able to sneak up on then during our walks. The nights were truly arctic though. We would wake up with frost and ice on the inside of our tent but the sleeping bags kept us nice and toasty as long as we kept our noses in them.
Every day we tried to venture in on the shorter trekking trails. On one of those walks, at the Pewee Lake, we spotted a shy moose that disappeared leaving only tracks for us to photograph. You could sense how the nature was getting ready for the deep sleep. Another trek that we took, and that I remember so well, was a short walk that ended at a small lake on the Two Rivers Trail. I don't remember now but it could have been Bat Lake. It was a peaceful, place with a small deck going into the lake. I remember we stood there for the longest time looking at the view. We admired the silence and the stillness of the water. We enjoyed the company of some birds trying to get into my cookie, so I shared. Then we stood in silence some more. I remember thinking about my baby that was inside my belly patiently waiting. We were all present waiting patiently for something. And it was a perfect place and time to contemplate on that topic.
When the time was up, the silence was beginning to overwhelm, and the pregnant woman got hungry. We turned around to leave when we noticed a beautiful orange fox on the other end of that deck. What an explosive moment it was! Was it a message of some sort? Was he bringing us some good news? The three of us stood in stillness for a good minute, simply looking at each other. I bet our hearts were racing as fast as our minds. And as on that day at ROM, I told my son the end of that story, "the fox took a looooong look at daddy, me and then at my belly, because that fox knew you were there. He gracefully turned around its gorgeous tail and jumped off the deck. And he disappeared into the woods of Algonquin park."
8 weeks pregnant in Algonquin
I don't have heroic stories of war and saving private Ryan, but I think this is as good story to tell your son as any, don't you think?
'In Native American folklore, fox animal symbolism deals with two interpretations. One perspective (Northern tribes) observes the fox as a wise and noble messenger. The other (Plains tribes) views the fox as a trickster playing pranks, or worse - luring one to demise.
The fox encourages us to think outside of the box and use our intelligence in different, creative ways. The fox also brings us a message to try to approach our circumstances differently that we normally would. Be aware of some of our habits, and try a different angle of action.
The fox is also a reminder that we must utilize all of our resources (seen and unseen) in order to accomplish our goals. Sometimes this means calling upon some unorthodox methods. Furthermore, the fox is a sign to be mindful of our surroundings.Phenomenally effective shapeshifters and incredibly adaptable, the fox beckons us to not make too many waves but rather, adapt to our surroundings, blend into it, and use our surroundings (and circumstances) to our advantage.'
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/fox-animal-symbolism.html
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