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About ten days ago, I was in Colorado Springs staying at the beautiful Broadmoor resort in the shadow of Pikes Peak. I was speaking at the Independent Jewelers Organization Conference 2011. I've had the privilege of partnering with IJO several times in recent years, and it's been an absolute pleasure.
I had morning and afternoon presentations with five hours in between. After the morning session, I grabbed some breakfast at the amazing buffet the Broadmoor lays out, and then mugged some hot chocolate and strolled the grounds a bit.
In between two of the buildings is a rather large pond straddled by a stone bridge. It was a bright blue day about fifty degrees, and the sun felt good as I took in the still half-frozen water, and the ducks and geese flailing around in it and on it.
And then I saw this...
In the pond about ten feet from shore was a bird feeder of some sort...looked like a little cabin on a stake protruding from the water. Directly beneath it, bobbing on the water's surface, was a goose. His neck was like a baby elephant's trunk spilling out into a beak and he stretched up to take a bite.
Behind the goose, a rock swelled from the water. On the rock was a crow. And I beheld the rhythm of cooperation displayed by two creatures of the Colorado wood.
As I said, the goose stretched and lifted a bite of food from the little cabin. When he clasped a morsel in his beak he lowered his head to champ it down.
The moment the goose lowered his head, the crow flitted over the top of him, landed in the feeder, stabbed some food and flitted back to the rock just as the goose was raising his head again.
While the goose was getting his next bite, the crow ate his. As soon as the goose lowered his head with another treat, the crow flitted above him again and grabbed another bite. When the goose's head emerged again, it was back to the rock for the crow.
Over and over this scene repeated. Goose head down, crow up; goose head up, crow down. It was like watching a mechanical toy repeating the same motions over and over again without stop or miscue.
I stood there quietly sipping my hot chocolate for at least ten minutes witnessing this cooperative joint venture. One wasn't tall enough so flew; the other wasn't small enough so stretched. And not one time did either get in the other's way.
They both wanted food. They had different skills and abilities....strengths and weaknesses. By perfect synchronized cooperation they both got all they needed.
Surely there is a lesson in this.
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