general

I was in a parking lot today, waiting for my wife and grandmother as the kids were asleep in the van. A flock of seven Canadian Geese descended into the parking lot. I was instantly struck by the scene. Each goose stood where it landed for several minutes, still in formation when three more geese landed in their midst. Each goose stood apart from each other, not moving from their original formation – as if very tired. Each started pruning feathers or sipping water from the pavement. About ten minutes later, three more geese landed about one hundred yards from the others in an adjacent parking lot. Eventually, there was a slow united movement as the first ten started a slow saunter across the parking lot toward the latest arrivals. They all gathered in a grassy area between the parking lots and pruned, sipped, and nibbled the grass. I was struck by their deliberate and united movements. It was all very professional.

They were a group of experienced hikers taking a rest before continuing their long journey across a wilderness. The majority of the adventure was during the flight, and I was just glimpsing the pause.

So many lessons can be learned from these thirteen geese. For instance, why did the ten walk to the three? They had at their disposal a superior form of movement. Why not fly over? I would say that it was the understanding that they were pausing in order to rest their wings. Geese have wings for long distance flight, and are able to walk and swim as a means of short distance travel. And for pauses. What do we do when we pause? Do we rest our wings so that we can continue the journey? I wonder if many geese never complete the journey because they do not rest properly. Watching the geese during pause, I realize how serious resting is to them. I wonder if many humans never finish their journeys because they do not properly pause and rest.

Discipline. Focus. Confidence. Unity.

These seem to be very important during the pause.