Be like Bison: Baby Steps Towards Authenticity

Recently I was holding a coaching session with a gentleman who happened to visualize a bison during an exercise I was facilitating for him, and it got me thinking about the ways animals show up in our lives and the meanings we attach to them and our intentions in doing so at that moment. Bison (or buffalo) have long been revered for their stoic, quiet nature, their protectiveness as a herd and their ability to carry on through the hardest of times.

After our session, I had the opportunity to access my inner bison when a catastrophic ice storm hit our area knocking out the power and every amenity connected to it. No heat, no electric, and the worst, no water. We toughed it out for the first couple of days enjoying the candlelit nights, the blazing fire from our stone fireplace that was thanked many times over as we fed her late into the night. We didn't have pipes that froze, or even food that spoiled thanks to some quick thinking and a small generator that kept our refrigerator going. On the 5th day without any sign of getting our power back, another storm hit us, and the reality that we may be in this situation for a while became crystal clear. I talked with a neighbor about getting water from them as our horses no longer had any. I am so grateful we were able to truck 9 buckets up the road in the bed of our pickup back and forth to our horses from that moment forward until our electric was restored. I thought about how if we had everything, we needed to do this on our own, we wouldn't ever get the opportunity to receive help from others or grow our relationships with our community.

Our entire community stepped up in a way that was so incredible. I tend to see things always in the way of animals, but let's face it, we're animals! Our community showed up like bison this week. People went above and beyond helping in any way that we could. I had eggs to share with neighbors who didn't. We checked in with each other daily. We graciously asked for help and received in abundance. I'm so grateful for our friends, our community, and this way of being when all hell breaks loose.

The baby steps to being like bison:

1. Give more than you receive - watch a herd of bison and you will see how they move as one, just like birds

2. Throw out those expectations - if you expect something in return, you've already lost the point -

3. Reflect on your own gifts to give - and I don't mean monetary gifts. I mean, can you check in with your neighbors, can you lend a hand, can you offer your own car, home, or other need that would help others. Can you offer a kind word, encouragement, or just being positive yourself.

4. Listen more, talk less

5. Face your storm... You just might surprise yourself how resilient you are!