March 20, 2020 [But nature knows no distance]
[Page 1] Even in the rain the birds still chirp, the squirrels still play. And even without their leaves the trees still sway in the wind. Life goes on, living things live on despite the weather and changing seasons.
As winter melts away and moves into spring the migrating geese move their way back home, unobstructed by viruses or travel bans. They fly swiftly in their v-shaped formations, leaving no family member behind. Along the journey they stop, take breaks and play in the ponds and rivers, splashing and squawking at each other as the ducks and the eagles look on.
As they arrive back home from their trip down south, Mother Goose leads her children from place to place in a straight line, like preschool children on their way to recess or lunch. This sense of structure and discipline is native to the geese, they are a team, a true family unit that knows how to
[Page 2] behave for the good of the tribe. This sense of the collective is true for most all waterfowl. Rarely do you see a lone goose dipping its head into the water or running amok in the park.
The geese understand that there is more safety in numbers, that the great journeys they take on are faster and smoother as a group.
Instead of the bumpy rise through life that comes with standing alone, the geese enact the wisdom of We, the calling to be more than one. We also see this collectivism with the ducks, who waddle and swim from place to place with their smaller family units. Creating patterns in the water as they go, enjoying each other's company out in the sun, on a daily basis.
This love that the ducks have for each other is pervasive, and their differences in size stand out
[Page 3] as you can tell the young from the old in the family. Even in observing the high flying eagle there is a sense of solidarity in their partnerships. While eagles have no problem flying alone, when they hunt and travel it is common to see them in pairs, spreading their wings so wide that they almost block out the sun. Circling and circling until they lock eyes on their purpose.
In nature there is always this sense of connection, or always doing something for something instead of nothing. Even in their idle swimming and chatter the birds are at their purpose. They don’t use or take their pleasures in isolation, they have truly learned the lesson of both enjoyment and purpose, pleasure and productivity. Through their migration and their nesting, birds teach us how to be together as one. How to rely on each other at all times and to move through the world as an unbreakable bond.