Cows run away from the storm while the buffalo charge in the exact direction of it. Needless to say the buffalo gets through it quicker.
This is the best analogy I know for facing the hardest things first. There are many times when running in the other direction is so appealing and probably an embedded behaviour-think the ‘fight or flight’ response. Flight often looks far safer.
One symptom of being a parent is that every week it is something.There are little problems with little kids and big problems with big kids. And then there is all the boring mundane things you have to accomplish/stand in line for/ submit/remit/declare/ make legal just to prove you are an adult. This ‘business of living’ can suck the life right out of you.
Problems not dealt with directly boomerang back each time with more force. Pretty soon they are knocking you off your feet. Issues swept under the carpet cause bumps you trip over day after day. You can break your neck on a small bump.
Marriages all have problems. Many get swept, or are never aired and are often ignored. This union should have guidance counsellors with mandated meetings. Where are we at and how are we feeling spot checks should dot the long life of a marriage. A third party should be present to mediate and keep things calm and properly addressed. Most split people I have interviewed only get help after both or at least one of them has already ‘left’ the marriage in their minds. At that point it is too late to weather the storm.
So what does being the buffalo look like? Not being afraid to ask the hard questions, to listen compassionately and do whatever is needed for the other. It is facing up not hiding behind or running away. From the other side it is being the storm. Raining down when necessary, telling it like it is and asking for what you need.
I have been both the cow and the buffalo in my life. All good things have come my way when I have been the buffalo. When I was the cow, being weak bred weakness and the running was exhausting. As the buffalo, the strength and courage deliver brilliance. It is hard work, the storm rages but soon the sun emerges from behind the clouds.