Catch me if you can

Yesterday I let the bottle lambs out of their enclosure.  Even though I feed them, make sure they have shade and safety they will run away from me.  But they were the true expression of joy.  They leap and run and play.  After they stop, they might look for me, they might not.  I keep my eye on them to make sure their newfound freedom doesn’t put them in danger.

Later on a grandma pushed a stroller with a quiet and outwardly calm girl to the farm. The three baby lambs came right up to this preschool aged girl, curious to see her and they even touched the stroller. I observed the girl not being quite sure what to do. Grandma took her out of the stroller and still the lambs stayed nearby. 

That evening I stopped by the lamb’s enclosure again to greet another mom with two elementary aged children.  These kids wanted not only to watch them but to hold them.  (Even in that video of the momma being chased in a large field in Waimea, I knew my friends wanted to catch one to enjoy holding a baby lamb.)

So I opened the gate and the three lambs came out in a huddle, nibbling on grass, and also springing into the air just a tiny bit.  They watched the two older kids closely but didn’t approach them.  They young lad was keen to interact but didn’t know how.  He approached them in quick, fast movements, they responded by moving away in the same manner.  It looked just like “catch me if you can.”

He tried harder, they only ran fast enough to keep a safe distance away.  Meanwhile they come over to me occasionally and I could catch them if needed.  I knew if they felt safe, they would approach this young lad like they did earlier that morning to the girl.

What is your takeaway from this story?