Have you ever chased a cat in circles?
I happened to be opening a package and tore off a piece of the plastic strip that helps you tear off the top. It fell to the floor and I thought nothing of it. The item was as requested and I went to go put it away when Elsa came slinking around the corner. Her cat tail twitched as she watched me intently.
Then she saw the plastic strip. Her eyes got huge and she lunged for it. I bent down to pick it up quickly so she wouldn’t choke on it, but she snagged that plastic and took off like a race car driver.
So began the chase. I followed her around the couch, into the kitchen, then back around the couch. We repeated this twice. I then stopped pursuit and went the other direction but she skidded to a halt coming around the corner and took off again. She was determined to keep her piece of plastic.
I kept running after her, always getting so close to grabbing her body, but her chunky little self would pick up speed and zoom out of my reach.
Finally she got tired of running and dove under the bed. I was able to reach under, snag that plastic hanging from her mouth, then gave her a good petting so she wouldn’t think I was a monster. She marinated under the bed for a few more minutes, then came out again, presumably looking for something else to snag. I gave her some treats.
Sometimes you want something so bad you’ll do anything it takes to keep it. But occasionally what you want isn’t in your best interest. There might be something better just around the corner and you just need to drop that piece of plastic your focused on and pursue the better thing.
This is why I think of life as a chess game. There are so many moves to make sometimes it’s hard to see the right one. But after a few trials and errors, experience grows and you can play the game better, focusing on what’s important. Why pursue plastic when treats are just around the corner?