Saving Honking Hal

I was catching up with my good friend Jeremy Main, listening to his excitement about becoming a father – due date is tomorrow. Both he and Tracey are more than ready for the big event. To provide entertainment during the wait, a domestic white goose ended up in the vlei (a huge shallow pond adjacent to their neighborhood, directly behind Jeremy/Tracey's home). A very pretty white goose, but an incessantly honking, sleep-disturbing goose. They named him Honking Hal. This is an actual picture of Honking Hall on Jeremy/Tracey's back deck.

It wasn't long before the sleep-deprived, irritated neighborhood began darkly imagining goose dinner, with all the trimmings. So Jeremy took matters into his own hands, making the world a better place for everyone, especially for Tracey … and Hal. He imagined that Hal had somehow gotten separated from his flock. So, being a global climatologist, he researched weather patterns for the day of Hal's arrival … and deduced the possible location of Hal's home – Bergvleit. Jeremy made some calls, and, sure enough, Dreyersdal Farm was missing one domestic goose.

After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, Jeremy finally captured Hal and drove him to his home in Bergliet, then watched the flock as they all happily honked Hal home. The neighborhood is now back to normal, and Tracey is stocking up on her sleep.

An easier way out of this issue would have been to have Hal for dinner. The touching part of this story is one man's willingness to comprehend the big picture, to consider all participants in the event, to take the time to plan a way forward that includes everyone, and then to make the effort to follow through on the plan.

The world is a better place for Jeremy being in it.