Giraffe All-American

The big story this coming week is – or, at least, should be – the celebration of our 250 years as a nation. The big story last week – one of them, anyway – was the re-discovery of Gracie, a four-year-old, 10-foot-tall, 1,200-pound giraffe, out in the Texas hill country. ‘m going to stick my neck out and suggest that the tale of the tall blonde has something to say about the past and future of the red, white, and blue.

Gracie had only been at the Cedar Hollow Ranch, a decidedly unexotic home for exotic animals about 100 miles west of San Antonio, for about a month. The working theory is that she wandered away, not because life wasn’t pretty good at the ranch, all things considered, but because the grass and leaves and general foraging were greener on the other side of a pretty steep sweep of rocks, sprawling over one end of the property.

Nobody'd considered fencing that particular area, because only Gracie and one other giraffe hung out there, and giraffes aren’t exactly known for their alpine climbing skills. Seems no one bothered to explain that to Gracie, though, and – since giraffes aren't known for wandering the plains of Texas, either – she had no reason to focus on her limitations. Clearly, traditional rules of zoology don’t necessarily apply to her.

Besides, her owner points out, “She’s quite an athlete, for a giraffe.”

Gracie spent two weeks strolling the San Antone Serengeti, without putting more than four miles behind her. The heavily wooded area doesn’t allow for many trails, and besides … what was the hurry? Lots of trees means lots of leaves, and what more do you need, if you’re long on neck and short on menu items of interest?

People all over the country took ardent interest in her case; many had a high time picturing the gentle giant doing all kinds of Texas-y things. Gracie’s memes hit the big time, but no one actually knew what she was up to until a helicopter finally spotted her, in a remote, roadless area.

The gangly girl looks healthy enough, but getting her home may prove to be a job. She’ll have to come back by a different, and likely more difficult, route, and since she’s not easily led, it’ll be necessary, the local veterinarian says, to sedate her a bit, plug her ears, and cover her eyes. Still, the deed can be done ... and Gracie, obviously, is worth the considerable effort required.

To me, a good bit of Gracie’s case history and prognosis mirrors those of the country so many of us love. Like her, our story was improbable; after all, revolution was no less of an unprecedented, uphill climb for our intrepid forefathers than that high gravelly ledge was for a certain loose-limbed longneck. Like her, they defied the odds and surmounted expectations; they, too, wanted to exercise their freedom.

What they did caused considerable excitement, too, and the nation that was their legacy has loomed large on the global landscape ever since. Following their steps, we’ve braved new frontiers and broken new ground – like Gracie, standing tall, knowing what we wanted, and able to overlook most all the obstacles in our way.

Somewhere, though, over these last few decades, we stopped blazing trails, and began just wandering in the wilderness … forgetting where we came from, losing track of what we’re about. With us, as with Gracie, a lot of people have their own crazy ideas about who we are and what we should be. But, in our own hearts, most of us know. And we’d like to go home.

That’s going to take some doing. Like that bewildered giraffe, we’re going to have to close our eyes and plug our ears to a great deal of what’s being done and said around us, by people, in our case, consumed with hate for themselves and others, and crazed with contempt for all that is – and always has been – good, and right, and true.

We, too, may not be able to get back the same way we came. But we can make a new path. We, too, can find people to lead us who actually care about us … people who know our past, and believe in our future. People who want to help us be stronger, safer, happier – rather than see us destroyed.

Maybe finding that much metaphor for modern America in one missing gem of a giraffe seems … well, a bit of a stretch. But allow for this, anyway. A 250^th birthday is as good time as any to start finding our way out of this dark, confusing wilderness. And for the nation I know, and the great people I believe in … well, we are, again, a little bit like Gracie.

Nothing is out of our reach.