The Goat

Relax and just take a drive

In my community service fraternity The Goat was something that was both looked forward to and feared, especially by the pledges simply because it was the unknown. 

This trip, was nothing like that. 

I was unexpected and completely original. How many people can say that, on a whim, they loaded up for an overnight stay in Delaware on the way to Virginia to pick up a goat? Probably just us and thats SO much fun! You can not make up this stuff.

We left the house at around 9 pm on Thursday night and drove until we reached Delaware where we stopped for a quick rest at a local hotel there. My mom found a dead cricket on her pillow which,  would usually be seen as gross, however her nickname in college was Cricket so instead, we just found it funny. We giggled each other to sleep like we were gitty little girls having a slumber party! Our entire childhood is comprised of adults telling us to "grow up." Well excuse me! But tonight, I wanna be a Toys R Us Kid! 

Lauren and one of the Does

It is good for us to "grow down" every once and a while. If I can help it I will stay a child for as long as I live. A child has everything in the world to look forward to and no experiences that suggest they will not reach their goals. I want to look to life as if it is something I can look forward to and enjoy as well as having my ability to reach out to make my dreams a reality. Although, there is no shame in having dreams, simply to dream. In fact, it is probably better that my dogs never talk to me because that would definitely freak me out a little bit. 

When we woke up the next morning we shared the sink, washed up, and were on the road by 10 am. I checked in with my outstanding job position and still no word on any final offer. That's ok, I am off to find a goat!

3 CDs, one pit stop and a creepy truck driver later we are in the land of "Endless View" Rd. BEAUTIFUL!!! Living in an area where buildings are more likely to cover a skyview than trees, it is so refreshing to come to open land. The woman who owned the goat farm was very sweet and down to earth. Meeting new people is always a hilight because they have no preconceived notions of who you are, or vice versa. The conversation and interaction is free to be completely real and unjudged simply by both parties extending a hand and being themselves. We all talked and met the other Does before loading 'Starbuck,' a gorgeous 2-year old Buck, into the back of the extended pick-up that Lauren's boss uses for the farm upstate. 

I began work at the Nature Preserve behind my house when I was 10 years old and I swear my heart never left. Looking into that boy's eyes just brought me back to how much I love and miss the farm life. Hard work, dedication and a lot of patience were the lessons of my childhood that continue to push me into the person that I am today. Everything from learning how to do day-to-day chores, to learning the facts of life when we had a stillborn. I owe so much to this place and to my upbringing. 

Take a CHILL PILL

7.5 hours it took us to get home and Starbuck stood the entire way, even though he had a fresh bed of hay and plenty of room to lay down. He is the most chill goat I have ever met, especially for a Buck. After a crazy day of reminiscing, driving and loading, we got our boy safely into his new pen, met a baby peacock on the farm and headed home to SHOWER! haha. I love my animals, but at the end of the day, its a blessing to be able to rinse off. I think I will be helping Lauren out milking the goats at the farm this week for a few mornings. I swear it is my absolute safe-place where reality can come back to me and I stop all of the useless stressing. 

Find that place for yourself. Whether it is playing a card game, reading a book, walking your puppy or going out to a restaurant. . . find what it is that relaxes you and makes you forget about the little petty things that life can add up. As much as you may think it is, the world is NOT on your shoulders and it is completely deserved, even necessary, to take breaks.