I sighted an urban coyote the other day.

I was coming back from a nursery which I visited because I was – still am – in dire need for some colour therapy. The skies have been gray and overcast and it’s been drizzling or raining and cold – damp cold – the type that seeps into your bones, and I don’t think I’ve seen the sun in ages.

Which is why I went to the nursery to look at some bright and colourful flowers.

This store is really beautiful. Inside you are treated to a large selection of outdoor accessories as well as furniture for patios, decks and sun-rooms. It also had a lot of the above-mentioned brightly coloured flowers and houseplants strategically displayed around a pond. I wandered around, took my time and filled my head with images from that store for about a half an hour. When I left, I chose to drive back to my mom’s place along Lake Shore Blvd because the alternative (faster) route was peppered by ugly plazas and fast food joints which is much less aesthetically pleasing. I much prefer driving along the tree-lined Lake Shore which dissects a high-end residential area with custom built multi-million dollar mansions, a variety of parks and, of course, the shores of Lake Ontario.

So I’m driving along minding my own business when I saw an animal resembling a large dog stand at the edge of the sidewalk waiting to cross the street.

At first I thought it was a German Shepherd. But there were no humans around and so I slowed down and took a good look at him. An urban coyote.

He was just gorgeous.

I didn’t reflect much about the sighting of this wild animal until the next day. His image kept popping into my head so I finally decided to look up the animal’s spiritual guide. Remember the mourning dove I saw prior to my dad’s car breaking down? I thought maybe the coyote appeared in my life the way he did – so prominently and unexpectedly – to deliver a message. (Thanks to Carl Jung I am all over the meaningful coincidences theory.)

Urban coyotes have a bit of a bad reputation in my region. There are typically multiple attacks on pets and sometimes people reported during winter and early spring. I also follow a Wildlife Center on social media and see how many urban coyotes suffer from mange, a horrible condition which makes them lose their fur. This condition causes these beautiful animals to suffer severely, especially in cold weather, which in turn might make them more dangerous. Can you imagine having no fur during the polar vortex? Poor things.

But this urban coyote I saw looked absolutely healthy and strong. I was close enough to see his fur was thick and healthy.

Spiritually, coyote’s represent resilience, survival, resourcefulness among other characteristics. I reflected back to how these terms affect me, and I decided I am all of those things. I mean, look at the life I lead, adapting to a strange and unusual lifestyle which accommodates everyone in my orbit, including myself. If that’s not resilience, survival (ha) and resourcefulness I don’t know what is. And, it must be said, the entire family unit has adapted positively to this arrangement.

Another spiritual interpretation for the coyote is related to the unexpected, surprising appearance in my line of vision. I don’t typically see coyotes on busy streets; the last time I saw one was in a local park during dog walking. The part of the street I was navigating when I sighted the urban coyote displayed huge trees on both sides and he was, it seemed to me, well versed in looking left and right before crossing the street. 😀

The part of Lake Shore I was driving on is flanked on both the north and south side by huge mansions with front yards filled with oak and pine trees. Mostly these homes belong to orthodontists and lawyers, and a handful of celebrities. There is an outdoor gallery on the south side with an expansive park leading down to the lake. That park also has a lot of old oak trees and dense bush, which is probably where the coyotes like to dwell. Maybe this coyote was on the other side of the park because he went to hunt for rabbits which are plentiful in the area and are often hopping around eating the spring flowers in the residential gardens.

Further research tells me the various Native American tribes consider the coyote a good omen. When a coyote crosses their paths unexpectedly they trust him to guide them away from harm or trouble.

I find it interesting that I saw this coyote on a day I spent mostly in shops, not in parks where coyote’s dwell. I had just completed a week-long dog sitting stint and went to numerous parks twice a day with at least one, sometimes two dog, and not once did I sight a coyote. I know for a fact they live in those parks too; I had seen them multiple times in the past.

So, the theme here is unexpected and surprise, resilience and resourcefulness. I’ll take it.

Thank you for dropping by my blog today. By the way, I have some PDFs uploaded in my Gumroad store which I had written a while ago and forgot to mention. (Sorry.) If you’re into the dating apps scene, you might want to check out the two articles I wrote about Serial Monogamists, here and here. A supplemental article on the same topic can be found on Medium here. Stay tuned for other topics. And don’t forget to check out my books here, and my Etsy shop here.

Thank you for reading!