I witnessed something today that truly put a smile on my face. Rush hour traffic came to a standstill because a flock of Canadian Geese decided to cross the road. What was interesting to me was that people who normally honk ferociously if you are not moving fast enough, yell cuss words out the window if you slow down on an amber light, and generally are mean spirited during the morning commute because they have somewhere to be; did none of the usual morning behaviors.
This morning, none of that happened because nature provided its own traffic calmer. In an instant, all cars stopped and patiently waited for the geese to cross. I immediately thought of the Goose Story allegory, which is below. Have a Great Day!
The Goose Story
by Dr. Harry Clarke Noyes
Next fall, when you see Geese heading South for the Winter, flying along in V formation,
you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way:
as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following.
By flying in V formation the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.
People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
Whena goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to takeadvantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.
If we have as much sense as a goose,
we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are.
When the Head Goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.
It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs with people or with geese flying South.
Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
What do we say when we honk from behind?
Finally, and this is important, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshots and falls out of formation,
two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection.
They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until it dies.
Only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.
IF WE HAVE THE SENSE OF A GOOSE, WE WILL STAND BY EACH OTHER LIKE THAT.
On a recent walk, I passed a neighbor’s house and a rose waved to me in the sunlight. I could not help it; I had to stop to sniff the beautiful scent of the rose. The rose gave me a magnificent gift that day, as it beckoned me to enjoy her beautiful aroma.
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