I like to think that the loveliest things in life come in pairs. It’s why my favourite number is two—the smallest number needed to create a relationship.
Have you had the chance to go by Scholars Walk recently? I’m sure you would know this pair regardless. They arrive in early spring each year when the ice has barely melted and the winds are still chilly. With fluffed feathers and white cheeks, they bounce along the campus like ballet birds who dance just for the fun of it. They also honk and toot and defecate wherever they like, knowing no one can stop them from doing so.
As much as the dropping-littered path disturbs my idea of a peaceful walk to school, I always look forward to the return of the lovergeese. Their annual homecoming to Osgoode Hall isn’t merely migration—it’s a renewal of vows.
Canadian geese are known to mate for life. I can tell by the way they never stand more than a few metres apart that they’re committed and wedded. Their bodies move like synchronized dancers across the lawn, always aware of each other’s placement. When one repositions itself, the other does too. Even when they appear to ignore each other—one grazing on grass while the other stands sentinel—there’s an invisible tether between them. This is their eternal pas de deux. I wonder if they honk “I love you” to each other during their flights to and from warmer skies. I wonder if they reminisce about their old courtship days while sunbathing on the lawn. I wonder if they know that if they just touch their foreheads together and curve their necks slightly, they can create a heart almost as literal as the adoration they show for each other.
It almost makes our carefully worded relationship agreements seem unnecessarily complex, right? We, as baby lawyers, are always analyzing the legal definitions of human relationships. We pore over cases about broken promises and disputed agreements inside classrooms. Meanwhile, right outside our windows, the lovergeese demonstrate a commitment that requires no signatures, no witnesses, and no consideration. Maybe they are trying to tell us something, that love needs no judicial enforcement or written contract—just two beings choosing each other, day after day, season after season.
