![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www-s.aces.uiuc.edu\/photolib\/lib1873\/inset\/7_090327.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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Deer.<\/b>\u00a0 <\/span>I know there are many people out there who have come to think of deer as a nuisance.\u00a0 <\/span>They complain that there are too many of them.\u00a0 <\/span>They complain that they eat their gardens, their flowers, their trees.\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t care; I still love them.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s certainly not their <\/i>fault that there are so many.\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019ve killed off all their predators (except of course, our cars.)<\/p>\n Why do I love deer?\u00a0 <\/span>I think they epitomize gentleness.\u00a0 <\/span>Who has ever been attacked by a deer?\u00a0 <\/span>We NEED more gentleness in this world<\/p>\n Deer are usually seen grazing on grasses and plants.\u00a0 <\/span>Shouldn\u2019t we all be doing more of that?\u00a0 <\/span>Of course we should!\u00a0 <\/span>They model how we should eat.\u00a0 <\/span>In addition, they are so beautiful.\u00a0 <\/span>Those big black doe-y eyes.\u00a0 <\/span>Those sweet ears.\u00a0 <\/span>Their slender graceful form.\u00a0 <\/span>I love to watch them graze and I love to watch them bound away.<\/p>\n And, I hate to say this to those of you who are vegetarian.\u00a0 <\/span>I really don\u2019t want to say it.\u00a0 <\/span>But IF we need to eat meat, venison is surely hundreds of times healthier for us than any of the mass-produced meats we can buy in the supermarket.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes I think there is a proliferation of a certain kind of animal or plant because we need it.\u00a0 <\/span>I think often it is a blessing and a gift and we don\u2019t recognize it.<\/p>\n Take kudzu, for instance.\u00a0 <\/span>Kudzu<\/b> has long been defiled as a noxious week that has taken over the south.\u00a0 <\/span>But if you researched the potential medicinal benefits of kudzu, it would blow your mind.\u00a0 People pay money for kudzu at health food stores.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Instead of spraying it with weedkiller, we should be thanking our lucky stars to have it growing so abundantly.\u00a0 <\/span>We should be harvesting it for the benefit of humankind instead of killing it.<\/p>\n Check this out:<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Kudzu is widely regarded in China as an important part of the herbal pharmacy.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Kudzu is an active ingredient in some hangover remedies and is being studied by Harvard Medical School as a possible means to treat alcoholism.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Kudzu has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kudzu is used to treat vertigo and tinnitus and has shown promise in treating migraines and cluster headaches.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Kudzu has the potential to help in the fight against Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n We NEED this plant!\u00a0 <\/span>We need it badly!\u00a0 <\/span>And how awesome that we don\u2019t even need to plant it!\u00a0 <\/span>We don\u2019t need to cultivate it.\u00a0 <\/span>It has been freely given to us.<\/p>\n Someone once defined a weed as a plant whose value is not recognized.\u00a0 <\/span>Well perhaps we ought to change our opinion about kudzu.<\/p>\n And what about blizzards<\/b>?\u00a0 <\/span>Most people are scared of blizzards.\u00a0 <\/span>Most people curse blizzards.\u00a0 <\/span>And ya know what?\u00a0 <\/span>If we lived outside in teepees, perhaps they\u2019d be a huge concern.\u00a0 <\/span>But we live in warm houses.\u00a0 <\/span>And when a blizzard happens, it forces us to stay home.\u00a0 <\/span>In this crazy, busy world we live in, don\u2019t you think we need some more relaxing time at home?\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019re always so busy driving around, going here, going there, working, shopping, going to children\u2019s activities or social functions.\u00a0 <\/span>Do you really LIKE being that busy?\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t.\u00a0 <\/span>I revel in the chance to stay home and read, make meals, nestle in with my family or friends.\u00a0 <\/span>I think blizzards are God\u2019s way of saying: SLOW DOWN!!!!<\/p>\n Of course, I don\u2019t want to minimize the danger of losing electricity, losing heat, losing the ability to cook our food, etc.\u00a0 <\/span>This is certainly a concern.\u00a0 <\/span>But even this may be God\u2019s way of saying, \u201cYou\u2019ve gotten so far away from living life simply.\u00a0 <\/span>Now you spend all this time in front of a TV or computer.\u00a0\u00a0 You spend too much time in your car.\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe it\u2019s time to sit around and tell stories.\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe it\u2019s time to sleep.\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe you all need to get away from your dependence on electricity and oil and learn to live in harmony with your Mother Earth.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe we need to remember how to build fires, for instance, or how to store and cook food without major appliances.\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe we need to remember the basic tools of survival used by our ancestors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sometimes things proliferate because we need them.\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes things happen because it forces us to change our routine or our plans.\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes what feels like a curse is actually a blessing.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Let\u2019s look for the gift in everything.\u00a0 <\/span>Let\u2019s make the most of whatever we\u2019ve been given.\u00a0 <\/span>Let\u2019s be grateful whenever possible.\u00a0 <\/span>Let\u2019s always remember to count our blessings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Deer.\u00a0 I know there are many people out there who have come to think of deer as a nuisance.\u00a0 They complain that there are too many of them.\u00a0 They complain that they eat their gardens, their flowers, their trees.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care; I still love them.\u00a0 It\u2019s certainly not their fault that there are so…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":553,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[378,21,3,376,32,186,374,377,375,141,183,180],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alcoholism","category-alzheimers","category-blessings","category-blizzards","category-counting-your-blessings","category-deer","category-finding-the-gifts","category-herbs","category-kudzu","category-metaphysical-messages","category-slow-down","category-slower-pace"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.jjanthony.com\/kudzu\/images\/rainforest_1221.jpg\")
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