The Thrill of the Chase
I hope you were able to practice stillness this weekend while also accomplishing holiday errands and enjoying family time. Even in the midst of shopping, cooking and movie-watching, I spent time each day hiking with Grace through the state park near my house.
One thing we like to do is sneak up on a herd of deer and surprise them so Grace can chase them. Frequently, they are so far away that I see them before Grace realizes they are there. Then I whisper to her and point in the direction of the deer. She’s caught on to this now and will follow my signal, spotting the herd far away. Sometimes, there is a momentary stand-off, a pause when they know they’ve been spotted but don’t move. They just stand there staring at us and we stand still, staring at them. Usually, one of the deer will turn and leap, signaling the others to take off. That’s when Grace charges full speed after the white tails floating through the air. It’s pointless, of course. They are dancing ballerinas, weightless and limber, while Grace is an ox, barreling forward like a bulldozer. Eventually, she gives up, watching them maneuver through the woods before turning around to head back to me.
Still, the next time we happen upon a herd of deer, she will repeat the whole process. This has become a routine for us, her time to play. We go deer chasing several times a week because she loves it. If we go for a walk down the road on leash, she tries to veer off into the fields. This weekend, watching her, I realized that Grace’s deer chasing was actually an important lesson for us. Each time she spots a deer, she responds with complete enthusiasm, even though we’ve done this for several months now and she must know that she will never catch them. It doesn’t matter to her.
Her passion for this pointless pursuit inspired me. How would humans respond if we had been chasing deer for several months? We’d probably give up. We’d tell ourselves it was pointless, it won’t amount to anything, it’s a wasted effort.
We would give up the thrill of the chase. Even if we loved it.
We kill a lot of dreams and stifle our own joy when we focus on practicalities and end results instead of feelings. I spend a lot of time hiking outside with Grace even though it isn’t the most efficient form of exercise; running is better, burns more calories faster and tones more muscles. But being out in the wilderness watching my dog explore and run free feels better for my soul. Even though I may never have a best-selling novel, I feel joyful and alive when I’m writing, so I write. Maybe I won’t become wealthy from photography sales, but I feel inspired and aligned with my inner being when I take photos and process them, so I will keep hiking with my camera. I’ve learned that it’s not about the end result; it’s about the present moment, the power of now, the choices we make each day. I’m glad I made the choice today to do what would really feel good to me, even if it was a “pointless pursuit” that had nothing to do with the end result of finishing the holiday shopping and crossing off my to-do list.
Because, really, it wasn’t a pointless pursuit at all. Hiking with Grace reminded me about the importance of enthusiasm, the thrill of the chase and about prioritizing passion and joy in our lives.
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