Ever since I was a kid, I have been a dreamer. Always lost in my own thoughts and drifting away into Neverland, not always at the most appropriate of times. I could sit through an entire class in school and not retain a bit of information because, my mind was simply elsewhere. The same would happen with books. Chapters might fly by and I couldn’t tell you what happened in the story. My imagination was wide open and that was encouraged heavily by my Mother. She always told me to chase my dreams and that I could do anything. Because, of that, I’ve never thought that anything was unattainable. If I wanted something, all I needed to do was give it my everything, and I knew that I would eventually get it. Fast forward 20 years and I’m still dreaming.
Instead of dreaming about becoming a professional skateboarder or rock star, nowadays I dream of adventure, past, present, and future. Because, in my opinion, life is an ever evolving adventure. What you do with it, is up to you and you alone. The farther I go down the rabbit hole that is bowhunting and backpack hunting alike, the more I realize this. I have talked myself out of going on quite a few hunts, for reasons that are just petty. Stuff that I built up in my mind and fell victim to because of it. The next day would roll around and I would be kicking myself in the ass for denying myself what was to come. So, what was to come? I can’t tell you, because I wasn’t there. Therein lies the rub of it all.
I talk to a lot of folks about future hunts that they want to go on and experiences they crave. Some of them end up going for it and I love seeing this when it happens. It inspires me even more to chase the things that I love most. There are quite a few people that never end up giving it a go though and that’s sad to me. Their voices sounded so filled with life when chatting with them about some dream elk hunt they were trying to plan and then…..nothing. I understand that sometimes things just happen and adventures might have to be put off, but don’t let that one speed bump stop you. Remember the feeling you had before that. You were invigorated and full of light about this.
Many people, myself included fall victim to “window shopping” in their imagination. They like the idea of doing things, but for one reason or another, never get around to actually doing them. With some forethought, you can make your dreams a reality. These opportunities are out there for the taking, you just have to go and get them. This goes for anything in life, not just hunting. A friend of mine recently went and hiked the PCT(Pacific Crest Trail). You can read about his journey at his site ByLand. He put over 2,000 miles on his feet that spanned the course of about 6 months. While that doesn’t inspire me to hike the PCT, it does inspire me to go after what I want in my life, because that is exactly what he did. There is no reason that you can’t do the same. I’ve got lots of dreams to live out, not just of the bowhunting kind, and I intend to make them reality. Life is a roller coaster. Are you going to close your eyes or keep them open for the ride?
Copyright 2019 Dialed In Hunter
Design by NXNW.
