THE CHASE

THE CHASE
by Tamara Yakovich

My youngest child turned seven months old yesterday. They grow so quickly, don't they? His development is bittersweet, I can't wait for him to reach that next stage, but then again I want him to stay little! He is at that point where he is about to crawl - but can't quite do it yet. That doesn't stop him from moving around and getting where he needs to go though! He scoots around this house as fast as he can, dragging his little body with chubby arms. I love that 'army crawl'!

His favorite adventure the past few days has been 'chasing the bouncy blue ball'. I watched this closely today, and this is what I saw. His whole face lights up as soon as he sees the ball, and 'the chase' is on! He scoots after the ball - almost gets it in his grasp - and it slips away. No matter, he squeals with delight and chases it again. He catches it the next time, rolls over on his back, and holds on tight. He uses both hands and feet to keep the ball where he wants it while he 'hugs and kisses' the ball. He is so happy to have caught it, finally!

Then he lets the ball go, he watches it roll away, perhaps wondering where it will end up, or where it will take him next. He flips himself over and takes off after it again with a big smile on his face. He could do this all day long.

Chase the ball, catch the ball, hold it and play with it joyfully for a while, then watch it roll away once more. Does he get a little frustrated when the ball rolls away for the tenth time? Maybe a little, but he knows that half the fun, maybe even MOST of the fun, is in the chase!

How many times have you 'almost' had your DREAM or your GOAL in your grasp, just to watch it slip away? Do you stop the chase? Do you sit down and give up? Or - like the small child - do you realize that the fun is in 'the chase'? Worse yet - do you 'catch' your dream or your goal and then hold on to it so tightly that you stop moving?

Lessons learned:
1. The FUN is in the chase!
2. If your dream/goal slips away - keep after it - you never know where 'the chase' might take you!
3. Once you have your dream/goal in your grasp - set a new one and start chasing again!
4. Remember - the FUN is in the chase!

Now - go out there and 'squeal with delight' as you chase after your dreams with a smile on your face! If you do it this way, no one will ever know that you don't already have your dreams in your grasp!