Chasing the Dog

All of my life, I’ve been chasing the dog. Okay, I haven’t literally been chasing a dog, but I did today. My little dog, after having a bath, ran down the stairs to find freedom awaiting at the bottom in the form of a front door which had blown open. By the time I had made it outside, the little stinker was already two doors down, standing in the driveway and taunting me. So, I did what any good owner would do. I grabbed the leash and went after him, hoping that he would see the leading in my eyes, and hear the sorrow of his leaving in voice.

We played a wonderful game of “you’ve almost got me” for about half an hour and half a mile. It was cold and the wind was blowing. I had forgotten my cell phone and didn’t remember to put on a coat, sunglasses, hat, gloves or anything else to keep me warm. I thought that he was running the way that we walk every morning and evening, so at first I was thinking that he would just run back to the house, but then he surprised me and took an unexpected right turn toward a busy street, down the sidewalk about a thousand feet away.

I was worried, then, about his safety, and I was also getting tired. I walked another five hundred feet and could see him sitting at the corner up ahead, watching me. I gave it some thought and decided that continuing the chase, at this point in time, might drive him out into the street, so I sat down on the sidewalk and decided to rest for a bit and think about what to do.

I looked over at where my dog was sitting and, to my surprise, he was running toward me. He stopped about thirty feet away and looked at me. I looked up and called him. He took a few more steps and stopped again. Once again, I called him and to my surprise, he came over to me and allowed me to put the leash on him and take him home.

I’ve not been chasing the dog all of my life, but I realized that chasing my dreams all of my life, as I have, has been a great deal like my adventure of today. I chase my dreams with all I’ve got. I can see them up ahead, and sometimes they seem to stop, look at me and then run a little farther ahead. Just like today, it sometimes requires that I sit quietly for a moment, and take a break fro the chase in order for me to rest and regroup. Then, and only then, the way to reach the dreams will come to me. They say that most people quit chasing their dreams when they are only a few inches away from catching them, but there are times when you need to allow the dreams to get closer to you.

Drew