Five life lessons from groundhogs

By Lisa Canape

HappyNews Citizen Journalist

As a child I was often confused by the contradictory reactions people had about groundhogs. Some people loathed them, and did whatever they could imagine to rid themselves of the perceived pesky rodent from their land; while others granted the groundhog celebrity status and held parties on February 2, to honor his appearance. This contradiction led me to want to learn more about the groundhog. Little did I know then, by observing groundhogs I would learn so much about how to live my life.

Groundhogs are environmentalists. They are able to move tremendous amounts of subsoil during their construction of burrows, and they aid in the aeration and mixing of soil. They also play an important role in building homes for other animals. Skunks, foxes, weasels, opossums and rabbits all benefit from using the groundhog burrows as their own dens. Thus, the first lesson that the groundhog teaches us is to utilize your talents to meet your own needs, and then give of yourself to assist your community.

A common misconception of the groundhog is that if he sees his own shadow on February 2nd, he becomes frightened and hides back into his burrow (resulting in 6 more weeks of winter). The conclusion from this misconception is also that the groundhog is very stupid, otherwise why would he be scared of his own shadow only on February 2nd, and not at any other time during the Spring or Summer.

What I've learned by watching the groundhog is that he is not afraid of his physical shadow, but has learned to embrace his spiritual shadow. Every living being has a dark side to their spirit, and the groundhog knows that he must accept his shadow as well as his light. He must be comfortable with himself when he is alone. He cannot simply run off into the world playfully ignoring the parts of himself that he prefers not to see. The groundhog understands that if he resists his own shadow, it will persist.

The second lesson he gives to us is to be comfortable with your true self within the confines of your burrow. The groundhog trusts his intuitive nature rather than relying on man-made instruments. Regardless of how sophisticated the hardware and software, or the expense of the financial investment, weathermen have not been any more reliable in predicting the weather than the groundhog using his own Creator given instincts.

The third lesson he teaches us is to not waste resources searching for answers outside of ourselves, but to learn to sit quietly and listen as our soul speaks to us. The groundhog lives in the present. Although history may be repetitive, and the odds are great that winter will persist for six more weeks, the groundhog greets each February 2nd in the present, and evaluates it on its' own merits here and now.

The fourth lesson for us is to remain present. Do not allow past disappointments to distort our focus, or permit naïve optimistic beliefs to lure us into danger. Look carefully to see how things really are, here and now, and act accordingly.

The final lesson that the groundhog teaches us is that no matter how much the masses misunderstand or don't appreciate you, it doesn't negate the value of your true worth. Life is not about what others think you are. Life is about being the best that you can be. Groundhogs teach us a lot about living. They really don't care if we give them credit for it or not. While we are busy misunderstanding their role, they don't worry about what we think about them. They are simply busy living life as they should.