Lessons from Moose on Perspective

Posted on 09. Oct, 2008 by Karen in Family and Friends

  Today I got an email from “B”, a friend who has a place out in Wyoming.  She was reporting to a group of friends about her early morning encounter with several moose.  And yes, I had to confirm that the plural of moose is moose. 

Apparently the moose–a family replete with mom (the cow), dad (the bull) and babies (the calves) were hanging out in B’s backyard when she let her dogs out.  One group of 4-leggers didn’t get along with the other.  The cow charged the dogs, one dog ran back to the house and the other stood her ground.  That is until the bull made his presence known. 

B was able to get the dogs into the house leaving behind an enraged cow and a trail of anxiety that followed her into the house.  Now I know it’s pretty rustic out in Wyoming but things happen out there that this city girl can’t even imagine.  Like the stud buffalo who craps on B’s lawn and the 6-12 inches of snow expected this weekend. 

Frankly, what I worry about at my house is that the rabbits will eat my hostas.  That’s the thing about perspective.  Our experiences are never the same so how we view the world around us is never through the same lens.  Learning to accept the differences in our perspectives is a moose-size opportunity for self-growth.

So if you’re used to dealing with moose, can you accept the perspective of someone who thinks munching bunnies are a big deal?

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3 Responses to “Lessons from Moose on Perspective”

  1. Chris

    10. Oct, 2008

    We had moose in our former backyard in northern Vermont…my small children used to love to find the moose footprints and put both their feet in the muddy impression…the animals are huge. Where we live in Virginia, there are mosquitos and copperheads…rather small but intrusive creatures.
    Your entry is perfectly timed with the polarizing election coverage we’re bombarded with. You are so right about the lens we all look at the world with…and it is an opportunity for growth, if we’re honest with ourselves about it.
    I have a college friend who differs from me in political viewpoint (I’m a donkey and he’s an elephant)…this week we have challenged each other to read the opposing candidate’s books Faith of My Fathers and Audacity of Hope) and we’ll check back with each other in a week….I’m going to try to remove my “liberal lens” (if it’s possible for me) and we’ll see if he can do the same…As you wrote: “can we accept the perspective” of others? We’ll see…

  2. phhhst

    11. Oct, 2008

    I could picture the whole thing. And I love the moose picture.

    Where I live the thing I have to worry about is feral cats leaving fleas or teens marking th territory with graffiti.

  3. Karen

    11. Oct, 2008

    Chris–you’re so right that the presidential campaign has been polarizing and that it’s all about perspective. I love your experiment with your friend to see if you can accept the political perspective of someone else. Keep me posted on how it turns out. Maybe we can all take a lesson.

    phhhst–There’s a cat in my neighborhood who roams my property getting my cat all riled up. Not feral but wish he’d stay away. Funny thing, I was just out in Wyoming a few weeks ago and really wanted to get a glimpse of a moose. Pesky critters hid the whole time I was there. And then B get’s a whole clan on her front lawn this week.

    Karen

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