Fable of the Porcupine

This post was inspired by an email sent to me this morning by my amazing grandmother. The pictures posted on the blog (the cupola and the winter shed) were photos she's taken and so I'd not only like to give the credit where it's due for the pictures but for this post as well.

THE FABLE OF THE PORCUPINE

So the story begins during the coldest winter in Maine that all the cute little forest animals were ever forced to endure. The creatures who had the most difficult time keeping warm were the porcupines. Watching many of their comrades fall victim to the biting frost, the porcupines realized that snuggling together in larger groups was far warmer than fighting the cold alone. Their plan was going well, except for one minor complexity; porcupines are prickly. Very prickly. By snuggling so close, the porcupines were poking and wounding all of their heat generating neighbors. They decided that the pokes were too much to cope with and returned back to independently freezing. After losing many more of their porcupine friends, the remaining creatures decided to brave the quills of others and return to the warm and prickly snugglefest. As a result, even with minor discomfort, they endured the harsh winter and survived.

The question now is: how exactly does that apply to us at Gould? Well, these cute little porcupines can teach us that the best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but the best is when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities. 

SET ASIDE DIFFERENCES. MUTUALLY RESPECT.