I took Rudy out for our daily morning walk and had the daily exasperating experience. My mission is to get around the neighborhood, have Rudy do his business, get back home and on to the next mission. His mission is to try to chase every squirrel, to bark at every jogger and, when it suits him, to do his business. But he has one more mission - to track down every interesting smell. Our walks always come to a standstill when Rudy catches whiff of something interesting. He'll track back in forth, nose to the ground until he can identify the exact blade of grass where the fascinating new smell resides. Then he burrows in with his nose with the satisfaction of an astronomer discovering a new galaxy. Rudy does not care why we are on a walk. He does not care about our destination. His whole world shrinks to that one smell...then I yank his chain and we are off to the next great thing.
I like biking because it is slower and more intimate than a car. You see, hear, smell, feel more on the bike. But I am still me. I am watching my time while road biking, hoping to ride a bit faster or longer. Or I am on my way to a meeting on my commuter, focused on the task awaiting me. Just being, enjoying, taking in a lingering moment of beauty or enjoying what is at this moment right in front if me - these things all too often elude me. I've got important things to do.
So, if I show up a bit late for a meeting or seemed to have lost an edge on a long ride, it might mean I've learned a few things from my dog. Or it could just be an off day!
No comments:
Post a Comment