The honks that encourage

I don't know if anyone has noticed all the Canadian geese out, but they are certainly around. I know a lot of people find them a nuisance with their loud honking and spread of geese excrement. At times, I certainly do, especially with dogs who think geese poop is like caviar.

But all in all, I have a fondness for them. One of my client's have a large lake right beside their house. The Canadian geese have taken to the water, swimming around and hanging out. I've tried hard to get these client's dogs to stop barking at them which is only somewhat successful. Some days Tovah comes along to play with these dogs, and she is just enamored with the Canadian geese. I can't figure out whether she is unsure of them or whether she is wondering why they sound like one of her plush geese toys.

When I watched the geese today, I found myself smiling. There were nine geese on the grass by the water. I guess the geese decided it was time to adjust their location, because five of them opened their wings and took off to land on the water. Then, they all began honking loudly. Two more joined them while two stayed behind pacing back and forth. The honking continued. To me, it was like they were trying to encourage the other two that they too could fly onto the water with them. The two continued to pace, but finally one got the courage to fly and join them. The geese still honked, encouraging the last one who was unsure he could do it. If geese could have wrinkles in their forehead, this one certainly did. *He really didn't know if he could do it. He paced and paced, conversing to the other geese that he was just too scared. The other geese still honked and honked. But finally, he took off and joined everyone on the water. Then, they all honked together in unison, like there was now a sense of peace in the community.

I loved watching this scenario. It reminded me of recovery and how we all need to root for each other in this process, even during those times when things are bleak, we are unsure, and we think we cannot. Support and encouragement are vital to recovering from any mental illness. I hope we all have this on our journey in recovery.

Related post: "V" formation

Note: *I realize I am anthropomorphizing the geese behavior, but it just felt so relevant today. In my line of work, we quickly discourage anthropomorphizing as owners often get it wrong i n terms of what is really going on with their dogs. However, sometimes you just can't help it. Even trainers fall into this trap too at times. The difference is we just know when we are doing it. :grin: