The Old Man & the Fox

(Not a true story, however it was inspired by my first experience with a Fox yesterday)

There was an old man, retired, who lived deep in the woods alone. However, the man did not feel alone. He had the birds to sing to him in the morning and the coyote’s song at night. His entertainment was watching the dear and the rabbit from his porch and the mischief of the possum. But his most recent and favorite guest of all was the fox.

Once a week the man would take 40 minutes drive into town to visit and gather food. He had the same routine of visiting the library for a few books, than the grocery store for some perishable items and sometimes the hardware store. The last stop he always made though was to visit the butcher, to buy leftover scraps for his friend- the fox.

The fox was a slender small little creature who made his first appearance only a short while ago. He was an extremely short animal, only a foot off the ground. The little fox seemed to have been separated from his pack. He was quite skinny and sniffed the grown around the porch for food. The old man sat on the porch and thought to himself that such an unusually shy creature must have a stomach louder than his fear of humans.

The kind old man had pity on the fox and threw out some scraps onto his hard from his dinner that evening. The fox readily consumed the scraps of food, and left. The following day around the same time, the man was on the porch and noticed this fox had returned, licking his lips in expectation. The old man welcomed the new company and gladly provided the days dinner. This pattern continued till almost a year had gone by.

One day however, the fox did not meet the man at their scheduled time. The man waited for a while- and finally went to bed. When he noticed the fox was absent again the second day, he went on a hike to find his mammalian friend. The man walked for miles and miles in the woods until evening approached. Before the sun sought to hide its face, the old man found his friend. Upon closer inspection, the man saw that the fox’s leg was caught in a trap. The man could see the fear on his little friends auburn haired face, and felt pity. The man reached down to release the creature from his bind. The fox felt fear and bewilderment- he did not understand the man’s intentions, only that the man was causing his leg to hurt more. The fox bit the old man.

The man withdrew his hand in pain, and for a moment was tempted to leave the fox. However, the man thought to himself, “my friend hurt me, but could it be because he is scared and in pain? If I truly care for this creature- I would think about his needs above my own.” Therefore, the man did not withdraw his help, even when the fox bit him a second and third time. After about ten minutes, the man was able to help the fox get his leg out of the trap. When the fox was finally free, he dashed into the woods, never seen from again by the old man. The man walked home and treated his wounds; all the while hoping the fox would be able to recover from his wounded leg.

The next time the man was in town, he swung by the butcher to pick up food for himself. The butcher asked about the bite marks on the old mans arm and change in meat purchases. The man shared with him the story of his friend, the fox. The Bucher responded in bewilderment, “Why did you help a creature that hurt you in return, and showed no gratitude in the end.”

The man replied with a soft smile on his face “Caring means initiating without expecting a return. It seeks to understand the plight of a friend, even when they don’t understand it themselves. It may even mean hurting a friend more to help them in the end. It could involve subjecting oneself to pain, simply to see a friend free.” As the man left, the butcher was surprised at all the wisdom the man had gained simply from opening his heart to a small creature- the fox.