Pour yourself a cup of tea, pull up a chair and come sit with me a while, as I share a moment of connection with you.
I have spent too much time on the laptop today. A research proposal is looming, and once I dive into the research it takes some excavating to get me out. My research is focussing on the evolutionary mechanisms of cooperation. Is cooperation instinctive, or do we have to make a decision to be cooperative? The research appears to point in the opposite direction; selfishness needs time to be decided upon, if pushed most animals cooperate, even in the most bizarre of circumstances. For example, male dolphins work in an affiliation to secure each other a mate. Each male appears to have a couple of wingmen that ensure the courtship goes smoothly and they each secure a date*. Suitably apt for a day such as valentines day.
But I am of course romanticising something which is a little more complex, but is one of the many many examples in nature that show the need for organisms to work together in order to survive.
So in a much needed break from the screen today I decided to show a bit of cooperation with my fellow companion. The grey squirrel from the tree at the end of the garden. Although an enemy to the rest of the family, for the sheer destruction he has caused to the flower buds, to me he has been a constant writing companion. A welcome break of joy as he springs across the grass. But in the last few days he has been conspicuous in his absence. The last full moon, the wolf moon, was here to remind us that resources are scarce. So with that in mind I snuck into the shed to find our hidden supply of nuts and seeds that have not been used to feed him in the hope that the grass would be saved.
I have restocked the bird feeder, and await his arrival. Holding hope that he will continue to provide me small moments of wonder in an otherwise screen filled day.
I would love to hear your dose of connection for today, do share in the comments if you have any.
*Gerber, L., Wittwer, S., Allen, S. J., Holmes, K. G., King, S. L., Sherwin, W. B., ... & Krützen, M. (2021). Cooperative partner choice in multi-level male dolphin alliances. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 6901.