One with Nature

Lynn Brooke
Dec 8, 2023
3 min read

Updated: Jan 2, 2024

The gosling, which I call “Alone Goose" has been here for many mornings, weeks, by itself. It rests on the sidewalk where its family always rested. It goes off into the neighbor’s yard to eat grass. I saw it yesterday on the lake, swimming by itself. Is this the same gosling who couldn’t get over the fence?

I needed to get to the boat this morning, which meant I had to pass the gosling. It didn’t get up, but tried to hiss a little. I told it I wasn’t going to hurt it. I just needed to get by.

It looks like it has a wing problem. It’s probably broken. The TV programs and fiction books all proclaim the availability of rescue resources. None of that is available here. It will be nature's way.

When the goose swims, three others frequently come by, neither seem to want to have anything to do with each other. Are these groups of families at war, like relatives that get shunned and don’t like each other? When the goose tries to get near a family, one of them chases it away.

It is difficult to let nature take its course. Geese are so family-oriented. It is hurtful to see this one by itself. But it was time and the family, along with the entire goose contingent, flew. There are cornfields about 15 miles from here, where we get our sweet corn. I expect all the geese are converging there.

I control my urge to feed it. I expect it would become a pet if I did. I just don’t need a pet goose. I already have a tortoise. If I had a farm it might be OK, but that isn’t the case. It might prove a problem trying to migrate with it also. I don't know what I would tell the police if I got stopped and the goose started mouthing off, especially if it started crying like it did the other day. I might be the one in the cage.

We get so caught up in our own lives, we tend to miss what is going on in others. We go to work, come down with illnesses and have relationships. We also tend to miss what is going on in others lives, not just the humans, although they are the most obvious.

There is a lot of traffic here and the geese waddle from one green, grassy area to the water. It takes them a while to get across the road. Most here are patient drivers who slow down or stop until the geese get across.

Then there are the speedsters who won’t stop for anything or even slow down for dog walkers and rain puddles, let alone geese. Could Alone Goose have been a casualty?

The really disturbing occurrences are when some chase the geese. These are usually children and young adults. I guess they think it’s fun. They may be bullies, just looking for targets. I tried to find out from one and he said the geese would hurt him. These are not “guard geese” that chase and attack interlopers. These geese are placid. They just want to go about their business.

I have had time, and the situation, to become cognizant of the realities of other species, and how similar and relevant they are to ours, and to me personally. They are just on a faster time frame. The goslings are hatched and gone in a matter of months. All of the parenting and protectiveness and inherent changes within the lives of geese are observable in weeks. If there is deviation like Alone Goose, there is no rehab ordered by a judge. Nature's consequences have to play out.

Whether reality or a truism, stories are related about the Eskimos. The Elder, who is no longer able to contribute as expected, is supposed to take a one-way walk onto the ice. That is not a custom here nor is it acceptable. Our elders are expected to endure their losses in a stoic manner. They are appreciated if they don’t disrupt the family routine. They should be happy to move into care facilities. It’s too much work to maintain their older homes, and who has time to spend with them when working and caring for children?

I don’t want to walk out onto the ice when it is time, but I don’t want to be totally helpless either.

Surprisingly, most of us do adapt. Some just don’t. We find things to do and facilitate a purpose. My purpose has been to share my journey. To share my progress through grieving and make myself available if anyone wants to reach out. Many of you have. Thank you.

Let me know how you are doing. I care.

Contemplation: Nature will teach us if we pay attention.

Sincerely,

Lynn Brooke