Just Walking

The dog had to stop every six or seven feet, and always had a reserve to mark his spot. It was one of those perfect summer nights that turned into a game of hide-and-go-seek or just plain "hide and jump out and scare anyone who goes by" when I was a kid. I'm sure you had them, too. The field was probably lit by the faint cast of the light by the back door and the trees up ahead looked like a jagged, black extension of the ground against the lighter sky. Who was there, daring you to go first, to run as fast as you could across the uneven earth?

In somebody's view, right now, we haven't reached our potential. In my view it's because we set our sights on something and the pursuit of that thing becomes our life. Anyone who has sat on the edge of the cliff, at two in the morning, a beer in one hand, a cigarette in the other, watching the northern lights radiate across the heavens, has had a moment worth the struggle, so far. Sometimes we just need to change our frame of reference to understand what is truly important in our lives. Someone recently reminded me of a Zen koan about a man who goes to the master and asks him about a gosling put into a bottle. The gosling is fed until he becomes fully grown, still in the bottle. Riko asked the master, Nansen, "How do we get the goose out of the bottle without breaking the gooses neck or breaking the bottle?" Nansen clapped his hands to bring Riko out of his reverie. Riko was startled and and said, "Yes Master?" Nansen said, "See Riko? The goose is out." How long can you struggle against your struggles?

Just beyond the park we paused, trying to decide which way to go. In that second, that instant, all I ever needed was there. Even the dog knew it, as he lifted his leg and peed on a tree. It was a beautiful hide-and-go-seek night.