While on a camping vacation in Florida, I got up early one morning and decided to go exploring on my own. The family was back at the campsite. The morning was cool and misty as this skinny eight-year-old set out on my adventure, following the path of a grassy, little-used country road on the edge of the woods. After ten or twelve minutes into my walk, there was a bobcat just a few feet in front of me, crossing the road. I had never seen a bobcat, and it really startled me. The bobcat turned to face me. We both froze in our tracks for a few seconds, staring at each other, eye to eye. Was it going to attack me? I could feel my heart pounding pretty fast. The bobcat made the first move by turning it’s head away from looking at me as it continued on its way. My presence did not pose a threat to it but my heart was still pounding as I cautiously made my way past the spot where the bobcat had been. I never forgot that encounter on that misty morning.
