Yesterday, late in the afternoon, two of our chickens got out. One we were able to catch, but the other disappeared. She was somewhere in the meadow, which is full of nettles, brambles, docks, and trees – aka lots of hiding places for a chicken. After an hour of looking for her, I had to take the kids swimming and then to cubs. Mentally I figured she was gone for good.

Later that evening, around 8pm, I saw the chicken standing outside our ‘chicken tractor’ looking at the hens inside it. My son and I raced outside and after a few failed attempts, eventually caught her a fishing net. We reunited with her with the others.

Our lost chicken came home to roost. I knew it was a thing, but it happened before our eyes. As night became to fall, chickens come home to sleep. This particular hen came out of her cover and was looking for a way back into the hut and her roosting bars. Instead of trampling all over the meadow looking for her, we needed to be patient and wait for night to fall.

The whole experience made me wonder, what other areas of my life do I just need to be more patient and ‘wait for the chickens to come to roost’. Where am I pushing, when I should be waiting?

How about you?

Photo by JOHN TOWNER