Fight or Flight

I have been thinking about the old “fight or flight” thing.  What led to this, was an experience I recently had.
As many know, Merril and I are working to set up our place so there is nothing major to be done.  There are only a couple of things left to do, as far as we know.  One includes making a path to our new driveway.  The path is to be a mirror image of the one we have.  To get ready for this to happen, I needed to abandon the path I had, that was shaped differently, and set up for a new one. Unfortunately, to do this, I needed to cut back some vegetation, and move our water bowl that has Iris’ in it.  I say unfortunately, as I needed to get rid of some prolific Grevillea’s which the birds loved. I needed to dig them out completely (we have gotten more Grevillea’s.  For now it is a desert, but it will not always be)
My method of working is to stand and do what I need to, and when I can, sit and do it.  I got out lots of stuff both ways, and was then really surprised to see a snake leave where I had just been, and go elsewhere.  That fella could have got me any time.  I have determined it was a brown snake.  He chose not to bite me, and I am really thankful for that.
But it got me thinking, why didn’t he get me?  I decided it was the old fight or flight.  That snake did not know that his venom would have made me go away.  All he saw was something bigger than him, that could possibly do him in.  He chose to watch and go away.  It meant he lived to fight another day.
Merril goes for regular walks.  Recently Plovers have been attacking her.  She did not want to stop her walks, so she applied the accepted methods of making the attacks stop.  She made herself bigger.  Instead of using the track in that area there, she sticks close to the properties, where there are trees and sheds and big stuff.  The birds have decided they would come off second best if they went for her.
I am thinking that is a good strategy for a lot of things.  No matter what I perceive an enemy to be, I need to make myself bigger.  I see elite athletes do this. To be better than someone there is, in a sense, a need to be bigger than someone.
I also think I need to know who or what I am dealing with.  What do they say, “know your enemy.”  So often I see coaches studying the other team, to glean their strengths and weaknesses and attempt to exploit the weaknesses.  Merril beat the Plovers by knowing them and making herself bigger.  With the snake I was perhaps wise after the event.  In the end I knew him and was bigger.  He had taken off to a place I needed to work.  So, using the rake, I disturbed that area and it took off again to a place no one was going to be.  I could live with that, as long as it was not some place anyone wanted to be. 
Often for me, it is a case of flight, but if I need to fight, it helps me to know my enemy, and make myself bigger.