The Legend of 3G Tripod

Life is full of foolish things--for those of us with fanciful souls. Here in our little community of Chelsea nestled in the Gatineau Hills of Quebec, we (as with communities around the world) are coping with this time in history as best we can. And the search for hope and promise and beauty inside the darkness was and is a challenge. We have made it through some dark times with floods, tornadoes, developments and scandals. More than most communities have had to. The response to all of these things has made us unstoppable as a community. We found neighbours. We found unity of purpose around kindness and care. We found strength. Oh, not to say that there isn’t the odd kerfluffle and hurt feelings and bad things but overall, here in such an unlikely place we have gained so much. What happened then with Covid and the like seemed and seems at times to be too much. Much more than we needed, that’s for sure. On top of everything. Yet, for all that our little community has gone through we were gifted. We were given 3G Tripod. 

3G Tripod is a deer that appeared in our community. She has a broken leg.

When I wrote this story of the lessons of 3G Tripod it was a very bleak time. But something in me said that this deer we named 3G Tripod was a message. After I wrote the story i was living a bit of fear--that we would hear she had been killed on the road, or shot or worst of all someone tried to rescue her and take her away which would have been the worst thing to do altogether. I guess i was waiting for how it would turn out. Just this week Max Gibson posted a picture on our local forum that brought me to tears. The lesson now was clear. Out of pain and trial comes birth. 3G Tripod has a fawn.

Here is what I wrote then:

Ahem… Weekly rant. Thank you all for taking care of the vulnerable and taking care of the caregivers and watching out for your neighbours. I hope everyone is taking their zinc and Vitamin D. And maybe Vitamin C. It can’t hurt. Do not drink bleach. When you don’t know what to do, love the one you’re with. This week’s rant is about the deer.

For those of us inclined to fanciful thoughts, the wounded deer with a dangling leg wandering about Chelsea tells us pretty much everything we need to know at this time. She arrived as a lesson in hope and faith and endurance. We are more than gifted with her presence. No matter what happens to “3G Tripod” (affectionately named Gimpy, Gerta and Gustavia and Tripod by various members) we can accept her gifts to us now during this Covid crisis.

3G Tripod is oblivious to the ruckus her very presence causes. The solution from authorities is to let her be or shoot her. And so we are faced with deciding whether her life is worth living or not. It is painful to see her so damaged with leg dangling. We are moved to pity, to horror, to outrage but we are not indifferent. There is no longterm care facility or retirement home for this deer.  She cannot be put out of sight and out of mind. She is always there. So should we just shoot her and put her out of her misery? But she isn’t miserable. She is being a deer living her life. Who are we to decide her fate? Her presence upsets us because it is an “in your face” reality reminding us that sometimes life isn’t all pretty and Disney. It hurts us to see her. It might even annoy us. And the pragmatists say just shoot her. And the predators say she’d make good eating. And the empaths want to care for her. And the authorities say leave us the hell alone about the damn deer because we’ve got enough on our plate. And the perfectionists say she is offensive to look at in our pretty little world. And the philosophers wonder about the purpose of existence. And we all look at 3G Tripod. Because what are we to do? 

3G Tripod doesn’t much care about all that. 3G Tripod simply carries on as she has over the last winter munching leaves and grasses in the company of her herd. Except for the leg, she is managing her life—doing what needs to be done as a deer. She isn’t lying in the field moaning and weeping and wondering about her horrific lot in life. She isn’t curled up in a ball in the woods somewhere. She isn't seething with anger at the car that must have hit her nor is she wondering what the motives might have been. She isn’t comparing herself to the other deer nor does she spend much time worrying about how much grass there will be come autumn. She is enduring. She is doing what needs to be done. She lives quietly resourcefully and carefully in the moment. And that is all that we need to do. We don’t need to be upset by the reality that 3G Tripod represents, as cruel as it may seem. We need to be thankful. She lives her life as we all can, doing what needs to be done in the moment even when damaged. It is life. Be Calm. Be Loving. Be Safe.