What Do Heart Tracks Look Like?

One of the things I like best about winter is how it's so much easier to see the tracks of little critters in the snow.    It fascinates me.  

Tracks tell stories.    To watch the tracks of a deer bound over a fallen log that I have to scramble up and over, .... To see how the length between deer tracks can all of a sudden stretch way out, making me search for the next tracks, telling a story of a sudden surprise or threat to the deer, or maybe a leap just for the sheer joy of it, ...


Or noticing a set of dog paws on the trail brings to mind images of a lone coyote trotting along this trail in the moonlight, maybe calling to a mate or a pack across the distance, ... or a canine pet frolicking in its freedom, tongue lolling out of its mouth, aiming a goofy smiling "Thank You" at its owners, ...




And the bird tracks can be the most entertaining of all!    Maybe a stately pheasant sauntering down the trail until it is startled into the air by some unknown threatening noise, ....  or the fascinating and wonderful intricate design my husband and I saw another time, a criss-cross of tiny tics in the snow, this way and that, around in circular swirls, or surprising us with the occasional angled dart, ... my mind's eye imagines the dance and joy and appreciative awe bubble up.

So, what, I wonder, is the story that my own tracks tell?     

 I love that saying (whoever said it) "All the people we encounter in our lives leave tracks upon our hearts."

 I can see that.    Just think, first, about how the important people in your life make such an impact upon your life.   Parents, spouses, "significant others," siblings, friends, mentors, ... and so many more.   Those are the obvious ones.  Then how about the not-so-obvious people - co-workers, bosses or teachers that are role models or are particularly challenging, friends-of-friends we may meet, neighbors, people we meet through the services they do for us - mail delivery, car service and repair, grocers, hair stylists, .... random strangers who touch us somehow - they paid for your latte at the drive through window, they paid you a compliment, they asked you for help or information or advise and made you feel valued, ...  I could go on almost endlessly.  So I can't help but be a little intimidated by the knowledge that I am one of those persons for so many people!   That all of a sudden is a daunting responsibility.  

But it is also an exciting challenge and opportunity!    If each day I pay more attention to how I am affecting others, as well as to how others are touching my life, imagine how rich my life would be!   I am a sucker for stories, so maybe I could start collecting and learning from people's stories.  And I could be more intentional about how I am tracking on other people's hearts, creating the kind of story I want to leave on others hearts.

Fitting as we move toward Valentine's Day, don't you think?   People, Hearts, ...  Just what does LOVE look like? 

What and whose are the 'tracks' you notice left on your heart?     How have they formed you?      What kind of tracks would you like to leave on the hearts of people you love?    - of people you just encounter?      How can you become more aware of how you touch others' hearts?      What would you need to do to leave life-giving tracks on hearts?       

Deer's-Eye View of Life

Wow!  Today I figured out a way to maximize what mother nature has to offer this winter, what with not really recognizing this as a true winter and all, and I was offered a glimpse of the Deer's-eye view of the world and life.      So here's what I saw.... .  

Life's trail, for a deer, moves ever onward - over, through, under, around.  Not too much gets in the way of the deer, not enough to stop the deer.   No, the deer moves ever onward, despite what it finds in its path.

And the thing that I liked best about the deer's trail was that it was hardly ever straight!    It curved and meandered, criss-crossed and doubled back, leaped over, or ducked below...  Just the thing for a curious explorer, looking for new insight around every corner.

So, with weather that vacillates between being way too warm to keep snow around, or maybe even rainy, or frigid cold, creating icy conditions everywhere, I know it's enough to keep any true Minnesota outdoorsperson in a constant state of confusion, and at a loss for what to do - unable to cross-country ski or snowshoe.     So, rather than be frustrated or thwarted by this weather, though, I invite you to do as I did today, and look the fog in the proverbial eye, and challenged yourself to go out and find some peace and some fun, which I always look for in the beauty of Nature.  

That is how I discovered this new winter 2012-specific sport, that I choose to name "Deer Trekking."     Right away I found myself detouring from the regular trail, to follow the deer path that caught my eye.    That's what I like so much about Autumn/Winter - they give me a chance to see the world from a different perspective, through the trees and underbrush, across the semi-frozen marsh and river, exploring areas of my park that I can't usually get to.   For instance, this deer trail that my curiosity brought me onto today, is something I most likely would not even have seen during the rest of the green year, and would have a hard
negotiating the trail even if I did see it, due to dense underbrush.   So, you see, even the most challenging of conditions - even if it's just lack of decent, snowy winter weather - can draw you into a frame of mind that allows you to see things from a new perspective.    Just like the ordinary or extraordinary challenges we come up against in the course of our days are really just opportunities for us to see something we never noticed before, or respond to circumstances a bit differently.   I love the challenge of a fresh vantage point, no matter what brings that new perspective my way.

What could you do to pursue a path that would offer new perspective?       


What do you wish you had a new perspective on?     


How would that issue look to you from the perspective of some other person  or vantage point?                 
Enjoy the exploration!