Here’s our Mack. He has the self-appointed job of hunting down all the shadows. He spent entire exhausting sunny days in the outfitting yard when the dragon flies first hatched. Luckily the shadows also travel to the lake, so he follows them right in and cools off. It’s all very serious and important so he cannot be distracted.

It’s funny what his antics will stir up in people. The futility of it all is irresistibly endearing Plus, for me who lost her best Denali a couple of months ago—he simply lightens my load in all kinds of ways.

But then, his antics also stir up a sort of regret in me. This time of year, there is so much stuff. There are sump pumps and bunkhouses, punctured canoes and a cute little black bear down the road who hasn’t found his meandering way to us….yet. There are sprained ankles and ice cream shortages. The phone rings, the food truck pulls up, and the wheel on the trailer needs to be tightened. All at the same time. It can be really fun, but it also can turn me into the Mack of the video. It’s all very serious and important, so I run around and cannot be distracted.

Sometimes, I really wish I could back up and see the whole video of my life….before I make my choices about what is very serious and important. Every once in awhile, I stop running around for a minute. It happened yesterday when I paddled across a clear calm Missing Link to deliver Grant and Anna to the Tuscarora portage for a gear-rescuing mission. It happens some evenings in my favorite blueberry patch, where there is focus: find ‘em, and pick ‘em.

It’s only when pause that I remember that I might want to be deliberate about my time….I want to be right with the people around me, , I want to be satisfied, I want to be grateful, I want to finish what I start, I want to walk in a focused line.

As for Macky’s time, the truth is that he often makes folks stop and smile. That’s value right there. He adores the guests, especially the littlest ones. His course is charted one day at a time….sleep, eat, play, practice hunting, greet people.

Wouldn’t it be great if life were always so straightforward? Then again, maybe I should just stop racing around and remember that it pretty much is.