Smelly neighbours test Eileen Delehanty Pearkes’ concept of aparigraha: taking what is necessary. The third in a ten-part series exploring the yamas & niyamas.
From ascent magazine, issue 33, spring 2007:
Awhile ago, some skunks moved in under my writing studio, an old potting shed that I’d converted into a quiet space for my work. The shed sits on four cement pilings that leave about fifteen centimetres between the floorboards and the bare ground. I heat the studio with a woodstove. It was an understandable move for the skunks: no excavation required (though their sharp claws are designed to dig dens); heat included in the rent; attractive garden location. One evening at dusk, I spotted two adorable skunk kits wrestling on the ground under the apple tree beside the studio. I regularly saw the distinct black and white striped animals loitering around my compost, usually at dusk or dawn. I sometimes heard rustling noises beneath the floorboards as I tapped on my keyboard…