"The Tale of the Fallen Rooster: Lessons in Courage, Leadership, and Power"

It was a cold February morning in 2023 when we left our 23 chickens and 1 rooster out of the coop for the second day in a row, despite the rain and overcast weather. As we left for a team USA baseball team tryout, I couldn't shake off the thought of the always looming hawk, but quickly dismissed it. On Monday morning, I saw scattered feathers on the backyard lawn and towards the back of the property where the coop, horse corral, and wood logs were located. It was clear that the hawk had attacked again, and I felt guilty for relying on hope and the weather to protect our chickens, after all nature never rests. I was caught slipping once again.

As I looked around at our remaining chickens, I wondered how they were feeling and coping with the loss of their fellow flock members. I couldn’t help to think if they like humans keep pushing the proverbial replay button constantly reliving the trauma and summonsing those feelings that some in the medical field now understand is the cause of many of our human illnesses. The famous fight or flight response we have in order to stay alive, and how some of us are constantly allowing our dark thoughts to drag us through traumatic experiences of the past over and over until, well you get the point. But I had to put those thoughts aside and focus on explaining this situation to my 10-year-old son, who was about to head out for his morning workout. A workout that we created for him to stimulate his pineal gland and allow him to experience proper breathing techniques that are also found through meditation and breath exercises. We feel that this sets him up for a great day as he naturally experiences a dopamine effect. I decided to use the Rooster's life as an example of the famous phrase, "to those that much is given, much will be required", which is a phrase that exists in the book of Luke in the bible, as well as in many cultures around the world.

I walked him around the crime scene, like they do on the notorious crime shows, explaining the Rooster's valor and selflessness in fighting off the predator to save the rest of the flock. It was clear that he had acted swiftly to rescue his distressed chickens, even though we hadn't seen it happen. Two of his chickens had fallen prey to a predator, and he had come to their aid without hesitation. We talked about having the courage to place yourself in danger and sacrifice your own life for those that are under your authority. I mentioned the importance of understanding our duty as men and protectors. My son courageously smiled and reminded me that this Rooster was the only one born in our coop, and I reminded him that he was once under the authority of his father the king rooster, who had to be fought and defeated for the son to become the king of the coop. I explained that the coop represented centralized power and that no one gives you anything in life, you must earn it.

Together, we went down the timeline of events, and I emphasized the importance of acquiring, maintaining, and eventually losing power. We finished the story, feeling like we had created a masterpiece and gotten as close to the truth as any well-trained detective could have. We both dedicated our baseball hitting training that day to the memory of our Rooster, and we kept a feather from him as a reminder of the lessons we learned.

In the end, the Rooster's life was a valuable example of courage, leadership, power, and the responsibilities that come with it. We may never know how our remaining chickens are feeling, but we can take comfort in the fact that we will honor the Rooster's memory by continuing to learn and grow from his example.