A purpose
We went for a walk yesterday. Griffin carried a stick.
Humans go for walks to “clear our minds” or “get in touch with nature.” Dogs already have clear minds. For them, the freedom of a walking trail without security of a leash or the familiarity of a daily walking route can, it seems, be confusing. “What am I here for?” “Where are we going?” “What’s our goal?” Griffin (see photo above) promptly found himself purpose in the form of a big stick to carry. “Now I feel so much better,” he seemed to say.
Clay Christensen writes and speaks about this, and as we ambled through the Albany Pine Bush yesterday, I realized that Griffin explicitly understood that having clarity of purpose was far better than the freedom (and ambiguity) that the vastness of opportunity offered. The task was now clear: find a big stick and safely deliver it back to the car. In choosing this task, he became focused, engaged and (dare I anthropomorphize?) proud. He looked up at us as if to say “see what I have? Do you approve? Is it big enough?” Rather than randomly running through the woods, criss-crossing the path, distracted by new scents, distant chipmunks and blowing leaves, he maintained a steady trot with head and tail held high, and a steady gaze straight ahead, maintaining his placement squarely and very intentionally in the middle of the path.
And just as Griffin seems to seek the fre...
Source: Docnotes - Category: Primary Care Authors: Jacob Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
More News: Computers | Environmental Health | Graduation | Opthalmology | Primary Care | Science | Students | Teaching | Universities & Medical Training