Lake Lesson 5

Walking the long route to the Lake, I rolled up my jeans and sat at the water’s edge. My feet let out a sigh of relief as I dipped them in the cool, smooth water. Shortly after I settled into enjoying the view, the surface of the water changed and waves began to lap in. Out of the corner of my eye, I sensed what I thought was a squirrel about three feet away, but that didn’t seem right. 

It was squirrel sized, but a different creature all together with a long torso and cute as a button. The waves must have brought him up to the waters edge - his fur was matted down from his swim and his scruffy hair on his head was cock-eyed over one of his tiny, dark glistening eyes. He was just as surprised to see me and we both paused in disbelief - just staring at each other. He edged closer to me out of curiosity and I felt as though if I kept still enough, he would be the type to just crawl up onto my shoulder and nuzzle into my neck. I broke the spell by reaching for my phone to try and capture him on video but he sprinted, dove into the water and disappeared. 

I needed to know more. What was the creature that rode in on a low wave to my feet and only stayed for a few fleeting seconds? He had made me smile and I couldn’t stop thinking how magical he was. I googled “skinny lake weasel” and sure enough, “Mink” was a match. I scrolled though dozens of images of minks and although I know I made a positive identification, MY Mink was not there. My Mink was wet and had been having a fun time in the water. My Mink had a sense of humor, confidence, strong sense of curiosity and was looking for someone to play with. Unfortunately, I scared My Mink away before I could get to know him better. 

I never thought about minks. The only thing I knew is that Hollywood stars wore mink coats back in the day. If you’d ask me yesterday where minks live, I’d tell you they live in snowy forests with elk and eat red berries. Don’t assume you know about minks. "Soft, fancy, expensive" previously came to my mind. My Mink inspired me to think of other things instead. Now when I hear the word ‘mink’, I’ll know that they are semi-aquatic creatures that can dive 15 feet under the water to hunt for fish and frogs, are smarter than ferrets or cats and have webbed feet. I wish I could’ve spent more time with My Mink, as I think surely he has even more unique characteristics and personality quirks than the dull ones pictured on my lap top. 

There are Native American legends that portray the mink as a trickster. He is a flute playing heartbreaker whose story was told as a warning to young men: “Do not think to trifle with the affections of women or you shall be made smaller than you are.” There are spiritual explanations and symbolism as to ‘why’ a mink appeared to you: “Mink teaches attention to intuition and timing, keen senses, awareness and how to move in the emotional waters balanced with the mental world.” But for me, My Mink reminded me that there are still things in life to delight and excite me. 

At the Lake’s edge over the years I’ve been lucky to spot a mangey fox one sunny morning, dark snakes swimming on the surface, bald eagles flying over my head, blind muskrats scrounging on the beach and swans huddling together on the ice. When walking by the Lake’s edge I routinely just come across stinky dead fish, so when I saw my first mink, it was pretty thrilling. 

My Mink says, “Surprise! Let’s play, have fun, learn and stay curious. There is more to look forward to, let’s go!” I hope to see My Mink again. If not, I don’t know much about chinchillas…..


Beauty is Everywhere


- Holly