If you had asked me a few years ago what my favorite animal was, I probably would’ve picked something a little more conventional. A flamingo, maybe. Something cute or majestic. But now? Without hesitation, I’ll tell you—it’s a goose.
Maybe it sounds strange at first. Geese are loud, awkward, and a little bit wild. But once you understand them, you realize they carry lessons about loyalty, resilience, and connection that hit harder than you’d expect.
When geese fly, they don’t just flap their wings randomly. They move in a V formation, a perfect, purposeful pattern. The goose at the front faces the hardest battle—cutting through the wind, breaking the resistance that pushes back. But they don’t do it alone. That leader rotates when they get tired. Another takes the front. It’s a shared responsibility. A team moving as one.
And all along, you hear their calls—the squawks and honks that might seem noisy but are really something else entirely. Those sounds are encouragement. It’s the flock cheering on the leader, urging them to keep going. To keep fighting the wind. To not give up.
But there’s a quiet, heartbreaking truth beneath all this beauty. Sometimes, a goose falls. Maybe it’s hurt, maybe it’s exhausted. Hunters often find more than one goose on the ground because when one falls, another lands right beside it. Without hesitation. Even if it means they might never fly again, they stay. They don’t abandon their flockmate.
There’s something deeply human about that. About showing up, even when it’s hard. About cheering for others when they lead, but also being willing to stand by them in their darkest moments.
I think about my own life and wonder: who cheers me on when I’m pushing forward? Who would land beside me if I fell? But more than that—I wonder if I’m that person for someone else. If I’m the one encouraging the leader to keep going, the one staying close when it’s scary to do so.
Because geese teach us more than loyalty. They show us what it means to be part of a flock—sharing burdens, cheering each other on, catching those who fall, and never flying alone.
In a world that feels fast and isolating, where it’s easy to forget how connected we really are, remembering the geese can remind us of something vital: that we belong to one another. That showing up isn’t always easy, but it’s necessary. That we don’t have to fly solo.
So, who is your flock? Who cheers for you, catches you, and flies beside you? And just as importantly, are you willing to be that for the people you love?
We only get one home. One chance at this life. And if we want to make it through—to heal, to grow, to really live—we have to choose to be those geese. Fierce, present, imperfect, but always together.
I’ll be your flock,
Emi Sue !
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