Friday, December 17, 2010

The Baby Giraffe

A baby giraffe falls 10 feet from its mother's womb and usually lands on its back. Within seconds it rolls over and tucks its legs under its body. From this position it considers the world for the first time and shakes off the last bits
of the birthing fluid from its eyes and ears.


Then the mother giraffe rudely introduces its baby to the reality of life.
  
The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. 
Then she positions herself directly over her calf. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heels.  


When it doesn't get up, the violent process is repeated over and over 
again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, 
the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts.


Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs. Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up.

In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd, where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy young giraffes; if the mother didn't teach her calf to get up quickly and be with the herd, the baby would be lost.

The lesson is that we all need tough love at times to grow.  It may come from a parent, a coach, a friend, or even a stranger.  Someone who pushes us to what feels like our breaking point, only to help us  survive and become stronger, better versions of ourselves.  

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