CUDDLE UP TO LIFE'S JOURNEY
FOOD FOR THOUGHT a Mid-Day Snack
Cows are girls! They hang together, raise their children together, they munch and mingle while balancing the woes of life together. Cows Mingle.
com·min·gle (v): to mix, mingle or blend together
It's Munch O'clock
About CowMingle
On my recent trip to the Black Hills, I was inspired by the many animals that had babies with them. I could appreciate the continuation of life and nature when I saw a mother with her babies, and I could relate. I had my own "babies" with me, and it was a very comforting feeling to relate to the animals in that way, as well as appreciate how they make it in the wild.
Though, one thing caught my eye for sure. There were no daddies. Whether the nature of the animal was to raise her baby in a pack or alone, the males were not part of the daily trek for food, shelter, comfort, and water, yet the mothers grazed so gracefully and didn't exhibit the type of stress I feel in my daily life to keep the fort tied down, even with the presence of a partner.
I turned my eyes on to my husband with wonder. "Thank God he is here! How lonely I would feel without him!" Or, "Who would I complain to about how hard it is to raise children, run a household, keep a job?" I began to wonder, "How do the animal mommies do it? She is so calm, grazing, and moseying along the prairie or the pasture or the forest (whichever terrain I was in at the time) she isn't frantic, or pressed for time."
The mommies that preferred raising their babies in isolation from other animals seemed strong to me, brave, fearless. I admired them.
Those that chose to raise their babies in a pack, seemed comfortable, safe, and un-phased by the woes of the world around them.
While I can recognize that the human species is the crown of God's creation, having dominion over free will, and the privilege of
choice, not succumbing to the overpowering of our instincts, but having complex thought to orchestrate our surroundings and make them what we need them to be for our survival; I am also a bit envious of how strong, powerful, and fearless the females are in alternative species, not having a mind like this. It makes me think that maybe I can learn from these powerful female beasts of nature, to get out of my head and live free and in the moment.
On July 4th, my family and I were off-roading in South Dakota when we came across a herd of free-roaming cow and their babies. When I spoke to one baby in a sweet voice, the mother turned and looked at me fiercely. My whole family rolled the windows up. Is there such thing as an angry cow? I had to remind myself that the nature of the cow is docile, and she probably won't charge at me for speaking to her baby, but I couldn't help but appreciate the intense interest she had in me, as I have for those who speak to my baby.
We sat back and watched the cows as they commingled along the forested plain, and I appreciated all of the mommy cows that trekked the rocky, terrain stopping to graze, nurse their baby, or stopping simply because a member of their herd stopped.
I couldn't help but relate to the pregnant mommy moseying along with her toddler, and her other cow friends. I liked imagining how simple their plight was compared to mine, yet not so different. I reveled in the notion that all cows are girls and just like human girls, we thrive on our sisterly connections to help navigate us through our rocky terrain, for our own survival. I realized that just like human girls, CowsMingle!