To Be...or Not To Be

It was another one of "those" days in nature. The baby raccoon was resting on the side of the road, on the side of a narrow country road.

I waited and waited, but Mom didn't materialize. 

"Where's your mom, Kit? Why are you in the road? Can you at least go bury yourself in that grass behind you?"

I turned my van off, and listened to the baby cooing. Or, was it cooing, whining, or wailing? Heartbreaking to hear and witness.

Here's the part where the title comes in. To be or not to be...to act or not to act?

I wanted to do any number of things.
1. I wanted to shoo the kit off the road.
2. I wanted to feed the kit from the bag of peanuts I had in the van.
3. I wanted to help him/her find its momma.
4. I wanted to pick her/him up, and take her/him back to my house. (Wouldn't Lisa be surprised?"
5. I wanted to cradle the poor thing in my arms, and deliver him/her to a wildlife rehabilitation center.

So, what did I do? None of the above. I think I've interfered with nature perhaps 7 times. 2 times it went smoothly, but the 5 other times...not so well.

I chose to watch the baby wobble to its feet, and disappear into the grass. ( A full-length picture is in the Extras.)

Like I said before...heartbreaking to witness, but...I'm still hoping for a good outcome.