We all have good days and not so good days. I’ve been fighting a cold and the weather had been plain blah! My body (and thoughts) were reflecting the yuckiness of the weather. I did, however, force myself to get out and as I was walking (and shivering), a flock of honking geese flew overhead. Of course, my first thought was, “Please don’t bestow on me any gifts!” That would have been just my luck.
But I also thought about a work presentation that I had done years ago that focused on the reason that geese fly in formation. The formation of geese is a great analogy for the communities that we belong to and the support received. Your community could be your regular Saturday morning yoga class, your local community or even our worldwide hippie community. Any group of people that you support and that supports you is great!
So, the analogy goes something like this:
Encouragement. When geese fly in their V formation, they actually have a 70% increase in their flying range. Why is that? Well, partly some of it has to do with aerodynamics, but also it has to do with encouragement. Honking is the way that geese encourage each other. They are saying, “Keep going, you’ve got this, you’re almost there!” Find your community to support you in your hip challenges whether it be a local group of friends or hippies from across the world!
Humility. Humility is sometimes very hard to embrace, but we can learn some serious lessons from geese. When a goose drops out of formation, it feels the lack of support from the flock. The momentum is lost. That goose then realizes its need for support and typically seeks to get back in formation. Asking for help is a sign of strength even though it does take humility. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Find those that you trust and let them be your flock!
Commitment. Stay committed to your goal – that of hip healing. Geese and their yearly routes never change. They trust in what works and they are committed to staying the course. How does this apply to your hips? Trust your team of health care providers. They have the experience and the knowledge to keep you flying!
Geese migrate from location to location as a way to transition from season to season. As we come up on the new year, think of January 1st as a transition. A transition to hope and hip health. It is not a drop-dead date where your life changes instantly– you lose weight, you get rich and you have no debt. It can be a motivator to transition into a healthier outlook, but in order to affect real change, it needs to be gradual and sustainable. Find your flock to help you reach your goals this year – whether it is being able to be quiet with your thoughts, to be able to say, “NO” to your worry, or to look ahead with hope! Find your flock! Fly high and with purpose.
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” M. Barrie, Peter Pan