The Bones of Awareness: Becoming Who You Already Are

In this episode of Dear Grandchildren: A Tracker’s Tale, I speak from a lifetime of immersion in wild places—raising my children in the woods, learning from the animals, the soil, and the wind. I invite you into the fullness of your own awareness, not as a philosophy, but as a survival tool, a joy, and a responsibility. Awareness, I say, isn't just about paying attention—it's about becoming who you already are. We explore how bird language calms anger, how intuition gains form when grounded in skill, and why understanding the "mood" of a landscape can make the difference between surviving and thriving. I share stories of bears I’ve never seen and deer who’ve shaped my character, all to remind us: tracking is more than prints in the dirt. It’s how we come to know the land, ourselves, and our place within the great turning wheel. If we truly want peace and resilience, we must earn it—not with fear, but with presence, with kindness rooted in strength. This episode is a call to stop reacting and start noticing, to remember that every muscle, every sense, every plant, and every silence is a thread in the deeper fabric of life. Let’s learn how to read it.