The Crying Goose

Life lesson: Geese and humans have much in common.

The goose was swimming around in front of my dock. It was alone. It was crying. It was the most mournful sound I have ever heard from a goose or any other creature. Who ever heard of a goose crying?

I love geese. They are very family-oriented. In the spring, after they have offspring, they are rigid in their care of them. As they enter the water and swim, one parent goes first, then every gosling enters in a straight line, then a second parent follows. All are in a straight line.

There is communication that occurs in the form of honks and other noises. I guess they discuss where they want to go and/or if they want to get out of the water. When they fly, in their traditional “V” formation, there are constant honks. Everyone stays in touch.

Yesterday, a small family of geese got into a neighbor's yard. Most of the neighbors with a grass yard put a little 2-foot tall chicken wire fence around them. The thing about geese is that they eat a lot and have lots of droppings. It is not too swift to walk around in.

The geese love the green grass and pay little attention to the fences. When they have their quota of the neighbor’s grass, one-by-one, they fly over the fence. They did this time, except for one.

A silly goose. It couldn’t figure out how to get back over the fence. It paced back-and-forth inside the fence, maybe for hours. I lost track of it.

Is this the silly goose that was in front of my dock?

Is this the Alone Goose from many weeks ago? Is it a single goose with no family, looking to join every family that ventures by it?

I speculated then that Alone Goose would be in trouble, even if it ever found its family or was taken into another family. It was smaller than the other goslings. When it was time for the rest to fly, this one probably wouldn’t be mature enough. It would be left alone. It would have to keep up with the others.

Nature has its way of dealing with these issues. The weak and lame are targets for predators. The strong survive. In the case of geese, it is a strong family unit that survives. Is Alone Goose not strong enough? Does it have a brain deficit that makes it unable to figure out how to get over the fence? Is it left behind because it doesn’t meet the standards of the family? Has it been deemed defective and unworthy of survival?

How much different are we humans from geese? We are driven to herd up. After my spouse died, I sought out a herd until I came to the realization I already had my herd. It wasn't a traditional herd, nor am I a “traditional” human. My herd is a disparate herd, its members are from all over. They are all different orientations, interests and capabilities.

Where we are different from many other species, is that we protect our weak. Where we see predators, we rush to stand in front of those in need. Or at least we should.

I have been so fortunate. When I was so numb and knocked down with grief, friends built a fence around me. They nurtured me and protected me from predators. A few became so protective they had to be “left behind,” as my wings matured and I was able to fly on my own.

My mind , body and emotions are healing, although they are not yet in synchrony. I still get knocked down with grief, at unexpected times and occurrences. I let it happen. I choose to experience grief. I know it will pass and I will be stronger. I will not be the Alone Goose.

I just have to stay out of other people's yards in the meantime.

Let me know how you are doing. I care.

Sincerely,

Lynn Brooke

Check out The Gosling if you missed that post!

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Photo Credit: © 2023 Rachel Gareau