Outliers Delight

lessons from hoofed creatures on survival

Last week, or maybe it was the week before,

a patient shared an analogy (that his counselor

had shared with him) about impending storms—

how when a storm is rumbling in the distance,

cows lay down, acquiescing to their limits

ready to hunker down and wait it out

even if that means extended exposure

& perhaps even prolonged suffering.

Horses, on the other hand, hear the thunder

and use their speed to hightail it away from the elements

seeking hasty escape, even if they are eventually overcome.

Then there’s the bison, the ones who turn their heads

toward the darkness, marching into the storm

to meet the chaos head on, one embodiment

of the only way out is through.

It’s not comfortable to experience the only way out is through.¹ While in the middle of a hard thing, we mostly just want it to be over. Darkness often feels too deep and too wide in the middle of a storm. It’s tempting to lay down and wait for it to be over, or turn and run the other way. Each of those options can be the right one, sometimes. Or if one of those isn’t the ‘right’ option, it’s the option we choose, and we have to live with the consequences. But there’s rarely just one way to navigate something, and everybody’s wired to weather storms differently. Waiting and leaving are viable options for certain situations. And sometimes the best option, even if it’s the last thing we want to do, is facing the storm head on. Walking toward it and doing what’s necessary to navigate the debris that’s swirling around. Get it over with already.

There are a lot of ways to survive. I’m not going to claim one way is better than another, because survival is a very personal thing. What I will claim, though, is that when we learn what way serves the situation at hand best, we’re helping teach the world to survive.

poem found in Church of Shadow and Light

So, no matter what method you choose for whatever storm looms next on the horizon (cow, horse, or bison) may the wounds that result from weathering it get stitched and tended, becoming scars equipped to share the stories the world most needs.

Also, tonight it’s snowing, and in April, embracing that often makes you an outlier. And being one of those is often another way to help teach the world to survive.

found in Slouching Toward Radiance

Finally, Church of Shadow and Light comes out in one week. If you’re already preordered, THANK YOU. Your copy should ship soon! When you get it, I’d love it if you’d snap a photo and post it to whatever digital communication methods you’re using these days, and tag me if I use the same ones. Leaving a review on Goodreads (or Amazon on actual release day) is great too, and helps the book be seen by more folks. Requesting your local library stock a copy is also a great (and free) option to support a new book as it makes its way into the world.

1. You may know this already.