I’ll take a gander...

March 15, 2008 - Saturday

I’ll take a gander... Current mood: thoughtful Category: Romance and Relationships Wednesday morning, as I was driving pre-sunrise, I noticed a small dark spot on the opposite side of the road ahead of me. At first I thought it might be some misfortunate possum or raccoon that had met its untimely demise at the hands (actually wheels) of an inconsiderate driver. As I approached, however, I realized it was moving a little bit. Finally I was able to make out its shape and realized it was a gander trying to cross the road. I slowed down to a crawl in an attempt to let him know I had seen him and then noticed his goose about three feet behind him. She was standing, tucked in behind some brush, so I didn’t see her right away. There wasn’t anyone behind me so I stopped the car just shy of the gander to see if everything was okay. When I did the gander puffed out his chest a little as if to say, "Don’t even think about messing with me or her." I put the car in reverse and gave him some more space and he walked a little closer to his goose as if to assure her. From what I could see there wasn’t anything wrong with the goose. She was just waiting for the "go ahead" from her mate so she could come out of hiding and cross the road with him. Sensing that my curiosity was probably causing stress and confusion I decided to give the gander and his goose a wide berth and slowly drove past them on the opposite shoulder of the road. In my rear view mirror I watched the gander waddle over to his mate. I don’t know if he made any sound but there was some kind of signal that let her know it was okay to cross. She cautiously came out from behind the brush and then they waddled across the road together and into the ditch. I think if they’d had arms and hands they might have been clasped as they carefully descended the embankment. I focused my eyes back on the road in front of me and grinned a little. It was a pretty endearing sight to see first thing in the morning... a sweet way to start the day. In the back of my mind I thought about that gander and his goose all day. I know that geese mate for life, and that alone is pretty neat. I also know that geese are very loyal to their families and, as I had seen earlier that day, are very protective of their partners as well as their offspring. Intrigued by what I knew, I decided to find out a little more. I learned that if a goose’s mate or chicks become sick or injured, she will often refuse to leave their side, even if winter is approaching and the other geese in her group are flying south. I found out that some people who observe geese have said that geese experience emotions and that when a goose’s mate is killed or her eggs are destroyed, she will seclude herself from other geese while she mourns. One of the saddest and sweetest things I learned is that many times, after a mate dies, some geese will spend the rest of their lives as widows or widowers. They refuse to mate again and this can be a long time in that geese can live up to 25 years. Now being that I’m a single woman - never been married and only unofficially engaged once - you might think that the outcome of my goose and gander experience, along with my research, would be thoughts of relationships and romance. Believe it or not, that did not happen... at first. My first thoughts were about God and how wonderful He is. I considered the fact that He is the Creator of those sweet little geese and that it was His plan that caused them to mate for life. In the beginning, when He was stirring up the universe and making the heavens and the earth, when He created all the birds of the air and the fish of the sea and the animals of the dry land, it was His plan to create geese families. Now I know that all animals do not mate for life and I know that many animals are "promiscuous." But I didn’t see any other animal that morning... I saw geese. In seeing those geese, and allowing my brain to do what it does naturally (i.e. over analyze and try to find the deeper meaning) God showed me a really good example of a great husband and wife team - but more specifically He gave me insight into what I should be looking for in a husband. I want a gander. First of all, how cool would it be to fly south for the winter? Second, how awesome to know that most times the gander is bigger than the goose, but there’s no stigma if the goose is the larger bird. What about the noise factor? Geese can be very noisy and it’s okay - hello? Have you met me? But on a more serious level, if I’m going to be married, which has been determined already but not necessarily revealed to me, I’d like a man who is protective of me, even if the threatening force is the size of a car. I’d like a man who is willing to be a leader and will make sure the path is clear for his family. I’d like a man who can quietly let me know its okay to proceed but isn’t afraid to honk loudly to me, if necessary, to warn me or let me know he’s frustrated about something. I want a mate for life. I don’t know that I would want my mate to be alone and not marry again if I was to die, but that would be between him and the Lord. I do want someone who will miss me if I’m gone for a little while... and I definitely want someone who will show emotions - even if it’s just to me and our goslings. I know me fairly well. I think I’ll be a good goose for someone if God reveals to me that I’m supposed to relinquish my "Paul" status. Whatever happens, though, I saw something really sweet Wednesday morning and I’m thankful to God that I did. How great would our days be if they all started as sweet as that? Honk, honk. PS. I’m listening to an unsigned band called Root Down. They’re awesome. Check them out at www.myspace.com/rootdownsound