Geese have valuable lessons to teach

Like a semi truck announcing its presence as it barrels down the highway, the honking of Canada Geese forces its way through my bedroom window and into my sleep. They are flying south in their familiar V-formation, heading toward more hospitable climates for the winter.

Not all will leave, as any resident of the Fox River Valley knows. Wherever they can find food and water the geese will spend the winter, and many farm fields and ponds are still accessible around the Tri-Cities area if the ponds don't freeze and the snow doesn't get too deep.

"Silly goose" is a phrase that has become a part of our vocabulary, but geese are not really silly. They are smart, and their migratory habits alone can teach humans some valuable lessons.

Flying in V-formation, the flapping their wings creates an uplift for birds that follow, giving them a 70 percent greater range than they would have flying alone. People who share a common direction and sense of community also can get where they are going more quickly and more easily because they are traveling on the thrust of others.

A bird dropping out of formation quickly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone and rejoins the formation. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those headed where we want to go, and we will accept their help.

When a lead goose tires it rotates back into the formation, and another goose takes its place, showing us that it pays to share leadership and take turns doing the hard stuff.

Geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. We also need to give encouraging honks to those going through life with us. Unfortunately, too often our honking is critical and destructive instead of inspiring.

When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two other geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times, not just when we are strong.

Geese fly south for the winter, reminding us that we all need a vacation, particularly from the cold of northern hemisphere winter.

Finally, hunters usually go where the larger flocks of geese are. The lesson here is that larger groups of people may not be as effective as smaller ones, who are able to maneuver much more quickly in life without being eaten up by the competition.

You can find this information about geese, along with many more facts, on a wide variety of Web sites. My source happens to be Christopher M. Knight's top7business.com, which traces its own sources back to Outwardbound.org, with Milton Olson as the original author.

The next time you're inclined to get angry at these beautiful birds who do make a lot of noise and who can leave a lot of "calling cards" our your lawn and sidewalk, remember these lessons. They serve geese well, and will make our own lives better, too..