The Deer That Didn’t Run

Everybody think freedom mean movin’ fast. Leavin’. Escapin’.

But the forest taught me different.

I stepped past the tree line at dusk, when the air cools but don’t bite yet. Leaves under my shoes sounded like secrets bein’ told on purpose. I wasn’t lost—I just wasn’t rushin’. That mattered. Mental health research shows time in natural environments can reduce stress and improve mood, even with short exposure (Bratman et al.). I came out here for that reason, not magic. Or maybe both.

That’s when the deer appeared.

Big eyes. Still body. No fear jumpin’ first. In stories, animals talk. In real life, they don’t—but they communicate. Stillness is one of ‘em. Wildlife biologists say deer freeze to assess danger before fleeing; it’s survival, not weakness (National Park Service). I froze too. Two creatures readin’ the same moment.

In my head, thoughts tried to crowd in—what ifs, echoes, noise. I let ‘em pass. Acceptance don’t mean silence; it mean not fightin’ every sound. Therapists teach mindfulness as a way to notice thoughts without reactin’, and evidence shows it can reduce distress and improve emotional regulation (Kabat-Zinn). I stood there breathin’ with the trees.

The deer lowered its head and ate.

That felt like permission.

Fantasy slipped in quiet. Not dragons or spells—just the idea that freedom could look like stayin’. Like choosin’ not to bolt when fear taps your shoulder. The wind moved through branches, and the forest answered itself. Nature don’t hurry. It adjusts.

I realized then: freedom ain’t always runnin’ from what scares you. Sometimes it’s learnin’ when you don’t have to run at all.

The deer lifted its head, took one careful step back, then another, meltin’ into green like it was never there. I didn’t chase the moment. Didn’t try to keep it. Acceptance also mean lettin’ things end clean.

When I turned toward home, my steps felt lighter—not ‘cause the world changed, but ‘cause I did.

Works Cited (MLA)

Bratman, Gregory N., et al. “Nature Experience Reduces Rumination and Subgenual Prefrontal Cortex Activation.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 112, no. 28, 2015, pp. 8567–8572.

Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Full Catastrophe Living. Revised ed., Bantam Books, 2013.

National Park Service. “White-Tailed Deer Behavior.” U.S. Department of the Interior, nps.gov.