Be The Buffalo….

Inspired by John Kanuk (Troop Committee Member), Presented at Circle Up On 12/3/2019

Colorado is famous for the Rocky Mountains. What a lot of people don’t realize, however, is that the state is divided almost exactly in half. And to the eastern part of the state are the great Kansas plains. Because of that unique topographical landscape, Colorado is one of the few places in the world where there are both buffalo and cows in such close proximity.

When storms come, they almost always brew from the west and roll out toward the east.

What cows do is very natural. Cows sense the storm coming from the west and so they start to try to run toward the east. The only problem with that is that if you know anything about cows you know they aren’t very fast.

So the storm catches up with the cows rather quickly. And without knowing any better the cows continue to try to outrun the storm. But instead of outrunning the storm they actually run right along with the storm. Maximizing the amount of pain and time and frustration they experience from that storm!

How smart is that?

Humans tend to do the same thing. We spend so much of our lives constantly trying to avoid the inevitable challenges that come along with the difficult circumstances that our very own choices have led us to be in.

Some people try to find ways around paying their bills. Some people make rationalizations for why they can’t do anything about their health or why it doesn’t matter. Some people are often trying to avoid the difficult but meaningful conversations that need to be had to reconcile relationships. Salespeople even do everything to try and avoid making a sales call.

We need to learn and realize that problems that are procrastinated on are only amplified. Waiting always makes it worse.

What buffalo do on the other hand is very unique for the animal kingdom. Buffalo wait for the storm to cross right over the crest of the peak of the mountaintop and as the storm rolls over the ridge the buffalo turn and charge directly into the storm.

Instead of running east away from the storm they run west directly at the storm. By running at the storm they run straight through it. Minimizing the amount of pain and time and frustration they experience from that storm.

Notice how it’s the exact same storm. It’s such a great metaphor for all of us because all of us are dealing with the same types of storms.

We all have some relationship issue or health battle or financial struggle.

And we don’t always get to choose whether or not we have storms. The only choice we get to have is how we respond to those storms. And more specifically here, when we respond to those storms.

Which direction are you heading? Will you be the cow or will you be the buffalo?

Reference: https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2015/01/23/buffalo-face-lifes-storms/22187351/