What can we learn from Woody's relationship with the giraffes?

What can we learn from Woody's relationship with the giraffes?

He needed to believe in something...

Woody needed to succeed in finding relationship that would be meaning for both parties and he found this in the giraffes because in growing up there was no one he could rely on and with the giraffes they relied on him and the Old Man but gave them pleasure and comfort.

Woody loved the giraffes but realized they relied on him to take care of them on this journey. He grew into a man with important, worthwhile responsibilities. Something he didn't have before.

Woody grew to love and respect the giraffes as he learned how to care for them. He was always uncomfortable with his father's comment that his cow and horse were "just animals". Animals were much more to him than that. He learned to respect them AND himself on the cross country trip. The Old Man sensed his kind and caring attitude and gave him serious responsibilities for the giraffes as their time together increased.

Woody knew something about animals before he met the giraffes. He has always respected animals and had strong feelings about them. His father discouraged those feelings, punishing Woody and making him feel as if he were wrong. Still, those feelings for animals persisted and they served him well in t
taking care of Girl and Boy.

I think being able to help Old Man and the giraffes on this journey gave Woody the chance to accept who he was, the way he thought about things, and his “gift”. There was not a lot of gentleness in Woody’s hard life on the panhandle. I felt like he believed he was somehow responsible for not taking better care of his mother or sister. The giraffes gave him the chance to care for something, to learn that it was ok to be gentle with and love all creatures. He had the chance to become more of his true self. His values about animals were shared by Old Man. For the first time in a very long time he was validated for feeling the way he did about animals. I also think we learned about the healing powers of animals. When Woody was upset or angry, nothing calmed him down like sitting on the rig roof stroking the giraffes. Throughout the story, Woody often referred to himself as a dirty orphan. I think being a part of this mission helped him see himself in a different way. He was less worried about himself and his own survival because he was focused on caring for something outside of himself. I think that is one reason why he was able to give Red the gold coin. He was also loved unconditionally by Girl and Boy. He had not felt love in a very long time. He was able to find and appreciate beauty in the moment.

When first starting out, I wondered about how he was going to succeed in this journey since he had no training. I believe his willingness to just say yes, and step in helped him gain the confidence to make this work. What a story

He gained the giraffes trust with patience and gentleness... I think this is the way we should all approach most obstacles.

With love all things are possible - isn't that a saying from somewhere? But it fits this story.

I knew very little about giraffes, other than they are a magnificent animial, before reading this book. I'm still woefully lacking in knowledge of them, but at least now know a little bit more about them. I think the writing of Woody's relationship with the giraffes made him more human and I hope made the reader more appreciative of the animals we share our world with.