Lessons from a Kangaroo

image by Art4Inspiration

I was looking through some older photography files that required sorting and I found this gorgeous image. I love the gentleness this image portrays between mother and child. Then I got to thinking about the other lessons we can learn from these amazing creatures.

Firstly, for me these unique Australian icons are symbolic in my life as the are one of a very few animals that can NOT go backwards. So they spend their whole lives going forwards. Sometimes they have to veer off course from the straight path, sometimes they might have to return somewhere to gather resources. Yet they always have to make a conscious decision to change direction. Their progress might change from inching along to take advantage of the small resources they can locate, to great leaps and bounds of up to 10m when the situation calls for it. But it is always in a forward direction.

Also these marsupials are extremely adaptable to the conditions they find themselves in. To the point that the females can delay the development of their small offspring until conditions improve. They do whatever is necessary to help their lives as well as their family's lives.

They are very sociable animals, living and surviving together in mobs of up to 60 individuals. These mobs usually have a home territory that they will return to in times of troubles. However, the mobs are willing to share their territory with other kangaroos without an violence or shows of power. So more than one mob can live in an area quite harmoniously, even if they are different species of kangaroo. Though, if a kangaroo is sick or dying, it will isolate itself from its mob in order to protect the others. It will put its mob and offspring ahead of itself for the greater benefit of the species.

What lessons can you learn and share from your favorite animals? And how can you use them in your life? Or in the lives of others?

Isn't it wonderful that not all of our lessons have to come from books, but can be found wherever we choose to look for them

Lessons from a Kangaroo