I hit a moose once. I didn’t hit her with a car or truck but rather with a green canoe. I was on a canoe voyage in Northern Canada, just north of the tiny town of Wa-Wa. I was canoeing around a bend in a swift river. To our surprise, standing in the middle of the river was ma-ma moose and her calf. We both stopped paddling and stared at the beautiful wilderness image. However, our canoe continued to drift on down the river.
At the same moment my canoe partner and I both apprehended that we were on a collision course with the big cow moose. Thinking that it may be a bad idea to goose a moose we both decided to try and guide our canoe away from ma-ma.
We both tried to guide the canoe at the same moment from “moose danger” but our uncoordinated reactions canceled each other’s attempt to guide the canoe. So, we managed to turn the canoe sideways in the river. We created the canoe and moose t-bone collision.
We did hit the moose. It was a thrill!!I loved it!! It was about as exciting as being chased by a crazy dog. Big, hairy, moose butt hitting Old Town canoe. We watched in amazement as mom and baby ran down the river splashing water everywhere and then disappeared into the thick Canadian woods.
We would have avoided this moment of excitement if my canoe partner and I had managed to communicate and work together. Instead we both reacted.
I believe that many married couples do the same thing. They face a crisis and then they create a greater disaster by husband and wife reacting independently of each other. By their independent reactions they guarantee a huge crisis for the whole family.
Most all crises that husbands and wives face are not such an emergency that they do not have the time to communicate and then act together in a thoughtful manner.
1. So slow down!
2. Communicate-“Hey, sweetheart! We are going to hit the moose.”
3. Next step, create a plan, “Hey, sweetheart you steer the canoe, I’ll paddle.”
4. Then do it- “Great idea, let’s go!”
5. Subsequently, move on around the obstacle. “Wow, was that ever close!”
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