That’s flocking important!

I was out on the morning dog walk and saw the flocks of geese in the middle of the pond huddling together for safety. Sleeping for the night and staying safe from the coyotes in the open space nearby.

My first thought was that maybe they didn’t fly far south enough for the winter and should be hanging out with Mike Cress in Houston, or Don Mamone in Dallas.

Then I thought about the love/hate relationship that my neighbors have with the geese. They are the subject of a little angst in our neighborhood. Some people love them (even feed them), while others can’t stand their constant pooping all over the sidewalks.

Our last dog, Prestwick, was raised as a bird dog prior to going to school to be a guide dog for the blind, so he used to chase them right back into the water. Some of the neighbors would applaud him, others would scold him (and me of course!) Our current dog, Buford, leaves them alone, except for the one night he decided to go check them out in the middle of the frozen pond (thanks to Westminster Fire Department for getting him out).

So I just did a quick look up on Geese and actually, they have some admirable instincts, which makes me want to like them a bit more:

• Geese have strong affections for others in their group.
• Geese are very loyal.
• They mate for life and are protective of their partners and offspring.
• If a goose gets sick or is wounded, a couple of other geese may drop out of formation to help and protect him.
• They will try to stay with the disabled goose until he dies or is able to fly again.
• They fly in the V formation to for aerodynamics and to maintain track of each other.
• When the lead one gets tired, another one takes over so it can rest in the draft.

So the insight from the geese is that flocks are important!

So as I try and maintain ‘commitment’ to the 2019 goals that I mentioned in my last blog, it will be important to engage my various flocks. The family flock, the friends flock, the co-worker flock. In some cases, I might need all the flocks to help me at the same time (this blog is called Mixing Pods)!

Who is in your flock? Find them, support them, and stick together. It’s flocking important!

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