When You Follow a Goose…

This is possibly my favorite comic by artist Will McPhail (The New Yorker), because it’s just so relatable. As a parent, I envy the freedom that my no-kids friends have. It sounds like a dream to be able to make spontaneous choices and go where life takes you.

So when I found myself with time on my hands and my husband handling bedtime with our two kids, I decided to “follow a goose” and check out a new bar that had just opened in downtown OKC.

I can’t tell you the last time I went to a bar alone. I was possibly that-day-old when it happened for the first time. I knew it was a risk, but I gave myself a drink limit and a time limit, and I made sure others (including my spouse) knew where I’d be during that time. Better safe than sorry.

The bar is located in a gorgeous art deco building downtown, and I meandered around for a while just admiring the scenery and being a total weirdo without a care in the world.

I ended up at the bar next to a guy in a suit with his laptop on the bar top. We struck up casual conversation talking about current events, and I did not hold back my comments, putting my full sarcastic self on display. It was so freeing! There was no pressure to impress him, and I had no tiny humans to distract me. It was actually nice to have adult conversation with a total stranger.

We moved on to discuss work, personal interests and spouses. He was divorced, but while we were chatting, he got a call from a girl he’d been “talking to” in Tulsa. Clearly, I’m married, and he has a possible love interest. I definitely didn’t get any “pick-up” vibes.

That is, until, I paid my tab, and he offered to walk me out to my Uber.

It was dark outside, but I knew the path from the bar to the front of the building was open and full of people. As we waited outside for my Uber to arrive, things got uncomfortable.

“You know,” he said. “You don’t have to leave. There’s a park just down the street. We could keep talking and just take a walk. You don’t have to go.”

Come on, dude. Can a girl not just follow a goose once in a while without being hit on?? Guess not.

“Absolutely not. I’m leaving,” I replied.

He continued to insist I stay and take a walk with him, but within 2 minutes, my Uber pulled up, and I left him in the dust.

Moral of the story: Follow the goose, but watch out for foxes.

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Lisa Lloyd
Lisa is a mother of two and a lifelong Oklahoman who loves plants, shopping local and enjoying her neighborhood, the Paseo Arts District. Her son Alden is 4 and a master Lego-builder. Her daughter Anona is 2 and knows her mind. Lisa is an Enneagram 1, a nurturer and a connector; always ready to be of use to a friend in need. A former PR/marketing exec, she now works part-time from home, is a Beautycounter consultant and writer for a local magazine. Lisa is on a journey to live a healthier life for herself and her family and share what she learns with others.

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