Lessons From A Goat on Resisting

Last week I said goodbye to the sassiest being I’ve ever encountered, Jackie the goat. She was our herd lead and I knew her for 17 years, since she was a wee goat kid. There is so much I learned from Jackie and her feisty spirit and there is much to share to help us all in the resistance.

Here are some tidbits of wisdom from Jackie:

Don’t comply in advance. Jackie always seemed to outsmart us when she knew there was some kind of bad-tasting medicine being brought into the goat yard. She knew how to do amazing evasive maneuvers and run just out of reach. She was also an expert at pretending to comply by taking a pill and then spitting it out seconds later when we weren’t looking. In the resistance, it’s key that we know how to not comply and do our own evasive maneuvers to show ongoing acts of resistance. It’s also key for us to learn how to “spit out the pills” that are being fed to us and do it in ways to protect one another.

Don’t bury your head in the hay feeder. Jackie was well skilled at getting her head way down into the piles of alfalfa to get the tastiest flakes, but she never kept her head buried long. It’s important for all of us in the resistance to not keep our heads down too long. We need to keep looking up to be aware of dangers and traps set around us. Live your life, eat your alfalfa, but don’t lose awareness of what is going on around you.

Size doesn’t matter. Although Jackie was the smallest goat, she became the herd lead. Even with her petite stature, she knew how to leverage her size to knock me over as she rubbed against my legs. Jackie was living proof of leadership in action, like what I talked about in last week’s But, Where Are the Leaders? It doesn’t matter who you are, what identities you hold, or how little power you think you have – you, too, can be a leader.

Always ask for what you need. Throughout her years, Jackie never hesitated to express her needs. She learned how to bleat the loudest and make it clear when we were not giving her enough attention, especially when it came to not giving her enough treats like sunflower seeds and peanuts in the shell. While being in the resistance, ensure you are getting what you need to be your whole self. Check in about your physical needs - food, sleep, exercise, rest, and your mental health – ensure you have space and support for processing and being. Strive to be as healthy and well as you can and help others with getting clear about their needs and how to meet them.

Check on your herd. Jackie loved being with and watching over her herd. In these challenging times, it is vital more than ever that we check on one another. Building power with and staying in community with each other is how we make it through.

Become friends with unexpected allies. Jackie and our Great Pyrenees, Penelope, were such close companions. They took turns watching for danger throughout the day and although they were different species, they clearly had a tight bond. They recognized they had shared interests like protecting the herd, and teamed up although they were unexpected allies across species. Like guarding the goat herd, we are in a unique time in America where it is necessary to protect each other – especially our freedoms. This requires us to make unexpected allies and come together with others in ways we’ve probably never have had to do before. Let us take turns in protecting each other and standing up for each other's rights!

Be your whole self, regardless of what others think. One of the greatest gifts of being around goats and other animals for so many years was witnessing that our animals don’t pretend to be anything but who they really are. Jackie embodied this as she was just who she was - sassy, full of witty pranks, determined to get what she wanted, playful, serious and direct when needed, protective, and incredibly loving. Our animal companions show us a world where we can be ourselves. I understand better than most the consequences of trying to live fully in my whole self and in my integrity, but I also wouldn’t have it any other way. It is critical that we all have at least some place in our lives where we can just be ourselves and find acceptance and belonging for who we are, without the masks and armor we all have learned to wear. 

May we all embrace these lessons from Jackie and be the defenders that democracy needs right now!

This post is dedicated to all of the incredible goats and dogs I have known over the years, especially the final three of our herd - Jackie, Rusty, and Chief and to our perfect pyrenees, Penelope, for protecting all of us for so many years. May their spirits all run free.