Inside us are two wolves.
I mean, not literally, because that would be quite the
medical issue.
Within our minds are two wolves that compete for dominance.
The winner is the one you feed.
That’s it. Inside my mind are two wolves.
One is called Snarly Machete-Fang. The other is called Barry.
One is the epitome of wild efficiency, of single-minded
determination, eschewing emotions, ignoring distractions and utterly target
driven. Ruthlessness and calculation evident in each muscle flex, straining
every sinew to achieve the desired goal, relentlessly hunting the ever-sprinting
Caribou of Accomplishment to feast on the juicy entrails of success!
The other one is Barry.
Barry seems quite happy really. He was going to focus on the
ol’ Caribou of Accomplishment there, but remembered he’d got a lasagne in. Not
the Lasagne of Triumph maybe, but pretty good nonetheless. The Lasagne of Agreeability
perhaps. With some garlic bread and a glass of something red that isn’t reindeer
blood.
Relentlessly pursuing something can be great, and Barry can
do that right up until he relentlessly pursues something else just as interesting.
Relentlessly veering off to look at trees, rivers, interesting rocks, a woodpecker
hole or relentlessly stopping to wee on some moss. There’s a lot of things to
relentlessly pursue temporarily.
The caribou seems less important sometimes, as it will
always be one step ahead no matter how fast you go.
Snarly is welcome to continue trying to catch it, but maybe there
are other more important things to get distracted by. One of the cubs has a
dance recital and another is learning the accordion, so that takes up a fair
bit of time, ferrying them across the forest for lessons.
Also, Barry’s promised to meet up for a pint with Colin the
Tapir of the Mind later to discuss the pitfalls of rhinoplasty.
I feed Barry, is what I’m saying.