Saturday, June 5, 2010

LOVING HORACE

“Another chance to excel” — that’s what Rick’s old commander used to say when he threw a new challenge or “mandatory volunteer opportunity” his way in addition to his already hectic schedule. These are extracurricular activities (burdens?) without the benefit of additional pay. Think about it. We all do this to one extent or another. We give ourselves new responsibilities to fulfill in order to be fulfilled. This week I’ve given myself one of those.

We adopted a (mostly) coonhound from the local animal welfare center. His name is Horace. He is adorable … and slobbery … and hairy … and really curious. As I practice patience and force down an overwhelming desire to follow him around the house with a wet wipe in one hand and vacuum in the other, I began wondering about self-imposed challenges, vs everyday living life ones. Because surely there are enough of those ...

It seems like when life settles into certain patterns, many of us (definitely at least I) seek out new ways to climb mountains. Like this blog; I keep wondering why I’m not satisfied with simply keeping a journal. But I’m not. So I jet this out with a self-imposed deadline to keep myself accountable … mostly to keep writing, I guess. I often wonder why I create these extra challenges.

Are we genetically constructed of “survival” fiber to the extent that when we’re not fighting to simply live (or to live simply) on a daily basis, we create simulated "aliveness" situations? In the case of Horace, maybe it’s just that I love dogs. But I also love order (and the peonies I splurged on at the farmers' market this morning, which Horace promptly ate), so this seems a self-defeating prophecy, or at least a little counter-intuitive.

Maybe it’s both. After all, I am the queen of my own castle (or cabin).

And I think next week I’ll begin training for a marathon — or at least half of one. Wish me luck.

No comments:

Post a Comment