Purpose

As I get back from my daily walk with the dog, I wonder if others have a crazy dog like mine. He is a mess! I love him and he is sweet, but he is a mess. I think he has a watch somewhere on his spindly legs. This morning, he would not settle at all until we walked. He was in and out of the house and restless. I, on the other hand, just wanted to sit and enjoy my coffee and catch up with what went on in the world while I slept.

Boomer, my crazy dog, just was not having it today. He was crying to go out and so restless that it was driving me crazy! Our daily walks are a necessity for him. He is a Bluetick Coonhound living in a home with a small yard in a suburban subdivision. I know it’s the wrong setting for a hunting dog, however, he is ours and we love him. He is probably the most pampered Coonhound ever. He sleeps on the couch most of the day. He refuses to lie on the bare ground, inside or outside. Outside I have long cushions laid out for him and he has lounge chairs he can lie on. Inside he has the couch and two dog beds in our room. Our daily walk isn’t just physical exertion for him; it puts him in a good mental state, which is why it is so important.

On our walks he smells everything. He trees squirrels regularly, but has to walk away from them. A long as he gets to tree the squirrel, he’s happy. Now that he has had his walk, he is calmly sleeping beside my chair as I write this. The interesting part of all this is that he reminds me—daily—to passionately pursue what I want and need. He will give me, usually, about an hour to get myself moving and ready for the day. He knows that once I start moving around, his walk is coming. His excitement builds and builds and he lets out his baying bark to remind me that it’s time for his walk. He knows what he wants—his walk—and he knows that he is not going to be sidetracked until he achieves his goal.

I wish I could say I pursue my goals without being sidetracked but I can’t honestly say that. My goal does not change and I take steps toward it but I allow other stuff to sidetrack me. How much could I achieve if I was so committed to achieving my goal that NOTHING was able to sidetrack me? Honestly, I think if I became so singularly focused it would drive me a little crazy. It’s about the balance. Fortunately, Boomer only needs one walk in a day to be satisfied and happy so maybe he isn’t so crazy. What if we set one goal for each day and single-mindedly pursued that goal for the day? Whether that goal is eating one more serving of vegetables, taking one fifteen-minute walk, drinking one additional glass of water… these goals seem achievable. My not-so-crazy dog reminds me to single-mindedly, passionately, and purposefully pursue a goal that satisfies me to the core of my being.