A 21st Century Country Bunny

I recently re-discovered The Country Bunny and The Little Gold Shoes, a book my friend Kathleen introduced to me several years ago. 

The Country Bunny illustrates the feminine hero's journey: we observe the protagonist learning to prioritize, delegate, say no, and to get things done. 

I'll comment on just a few phrases:

1)  "Some day I shall grow up to be an Easter Bunny: -- you wait and see!"

All little girls have an 'I'dentity -- they know they are the archetypal Rachel.  But then many of us forget. The Country Bunny doesn't. 

Photo courtesy:   The Little Red Hen

2)  "By and by she had a husband and then one day...there were twenty-one Cottontail babies to take care of."

Do you recall that Psyche's 1st Task, the prototypical story of feminine psychological development, is to Sort the Seeds.  To become the hero of her story, the Country Bunny must (as must we) learn to sort through the seeds of possibilities in the face of conflicting feelings and competing loyalties.  She wanted to be the Easter Bunny and to marry and to have bunnies.  We make choices, and then we get to honor our choices.

3)  "And one day, when her children stopped being babies and were little girl and boy bunnies, she called them to her and said, "Now we are going to have some fun."

Psyche's 3rd Task is to Fill the Flask during which she learns to delegate and to achieve goals against tough odds.  We too must learn to delegate, whether at home or in the workplace if we are to become the hero of our story. 

Psyche's 4th Task is to Obtain a Box of Beauty Ointment, which requires her to learn to say no.  In delegating to our children, our spouses, to those who work for us, it may feel like we are saying 'no' to them (so that we can say selfishly 'yes' to our selves), but aren't we really saying 'yes' to those in our tutelage when we delegate?  

Look at how competent and capable the Country Bunny's children are!  And what CEO wouldn't want her/his corporation to run as smoothly as does Country Bunny Inc?  

Photo courtesy:  The Little Red Hen

4)  "You have proved yourself to be not only wise and kind, and swift, but also very clever.  Come to the Palace tomorrow afternoon, and you shall be my fifth Easter Bunny."

Psyche's task of Gathering the Fleece teaches her to gets things done in a way that gives life to and revitalizes others.   She is innately wise and kind (deeply connected to those she loves) AND she is swift and clever (connected to her self).   

If we are already swift and clever, have we learned to be wise and kind (I digress for this is probably the masculine journey...)?

SOOO...to those of you who are wise and kind, and the ones of you I know -- indeed are!  Are you also becoming swift and clever?

Learning to connect to others and to self - to honor 'you' and 'I'.

Both/and.

Yes and no.

This is our hero's journey.

I am so happy to have re-discovered this book.

Will you go and buy it -- and share with us your insights?

Comments

[EHD]

This has always been one of my favorite stories. My mother (herself the mother of 10 children) read it to me as a child, and now my own daughter has a copy. I confess that I have been remiss in delegating to my own children, because I want the job done "right" and in my own way. Also, it takes time to train children well. However, there has been a huge payback as I have started to let go of perfectionism and embrace the process. My children feel invested in our family and how it runs, and we all like and respect one another more.

[Janna]

This post has come at a perfect time for me. I am on the brink of hiring my first employee, and I've been kicking against it for awhile. But part of being swift and clever is understanding that part of the very nature of my dream is delegation and collaboration. For my company to have the impact that I dream about, I must, must, must allow others to help me.

[Katie]

I love that book and cannot read it to my kids without crying. I'm struggling to teach my children independence so that I can have more space in which to dream- thanks for the reminder to keep trying!