1. Be persistent (even when confronted with the improbable)
My goats spend a lot of time eating English Ivy. Just when the goats think they have vanquished the ivy, the resilient vines sprout new leaves, choking out the noble plants around them. My goats don’t let these setbacks get them down; they keep fighting for what they know is good and just.
2. Goofy stuff brings people together
Before we got our pet goats, I didn’t know very many of my neighbors. After seeing our silly goats playing in the yard, many of them starting stopping by with their children or with buckets of vegetable scraps to feed them. I have little in common with some of these people, yet we can come together over our shared delight in watching little goats jump around and munch on plants.
3. Grief can make you stronger
Six months ago, one of my goats died suddenly. He had always been a very curious fellow - jumping over fences and once escaping into the street. Curiosity would be his tragic flaw; one day he chewed through an electrical wire that we thought had been well secured. I felt as if my heart had been ripped out. I loved him so much and did everything I could to give him a good life, but ultimately it wasn’t enough. I’ve emerged from mourning a stronger person. I have a renewed understanding that we should fight like hell to change the things we can control, without feeling helpless over the things we can’t.
Find me on twitter: @giniasweeney
Ginia
Atlanta, GA
[email protected]