Chasing Chipmunks

Most camp mornings are very quiet and mellow but there was one morning that my dog, Trek, had other plans. He saw a little chipmunk and went into full hunt mode. He saw the sweet little creature scurry under my car so he started circling it rapidly. Trying to see the little guy from any angle. When that failed, he put his nose to the ground and tried to sniff him out. When frustration set in, he started barking to try to scare the chipmunk out.

None of these things worked obviously but it did work to jolt me out of my peaceful morning routine. I attempted to settle him down so I could go back to my morning routine and we wouldn’t bother the campers that were within ear shot of us. But he was having none of it. Every time I walked away from him, he went back to barking in frustration.

I did the only thing I could think of to calm him down, put him on a leash and let him take me for a walk. These days I am usually forcing Trek to walk because he would rather lay around and sleep all day so I was actually excited to see him have a little pep in his step.

His pep turned into more energy than I have seen him exhibit in a long time. He pulled me this way and that way as he tried to hunt down this little creature he had seen. The urgency in his movement was surprising. He would pull me one direction, then another, then right back to where he started. We quickly walked in circles a few times and I realized he actually had no idea what he was hunting anymore but that didn’t slow him down one bit.

At this point, I just had to laugh. This is what life is like when we let our senses lead the way. Our senses are fickle things that always want more. When we use our senses to chase exciting thing after exciting thing in attempt to make ourselves happy, often we just end up running around in circles having no idea what we are actually seeking. Our senses are designed to tell us that our lives will be better if we catch whatever we are chasing.

But is that true? Would catching that chipmunk change Trek’s life for the better? Maybe for a moment. But then his senses would be right back at it, hoping to catch another creature as soon as possible. We all have chipmunks we are chasing in this life. Sometimes they are “healthy” things and sometimes they are what we call addictions and obsessions.

Humans and many animals are designed to seek pleasure. That is what our senses are adapted to help us do. All of our senses are constantly observing our environment to help us seek pleasure and avoid pain. But when we allow our lives to be dictated by these senses unabated, it can often feel like we are running around in circles in hunt mode, just like Trek.

This frenzied and chaotic chase ensues when we let our senses rule our lives. It can feel like we have no choice but to follow because we know there is likely pleasure at the end of the chase. At the end of the day, all our senses drive us towards is a hit of the magical molecule of dopamine.

But dopamine is a tricky beast. The more we get, the more our body desires another dose. The science is fascinating but too complicated to jump into here. Again, it sets our senses into hunt mode, if you will. When we believe our senses are acting in our best interest, we let them take the lead in our lives. We fall into this life of constant chasing. Always seeking the next pleasure or avoiding the scary pain.

Life can feel thrilling when we are chasing pleasure and avoiding pain but it really is not a path to inner peace and ease. Chasing will always lead us to external sources of happiness. And the truth about all external sources of pleasure and pain is that they are not permanent.

When we are living in hunt mode, our senses tell us that the next thing will bring us all the happiness we crave. And then, when it doesn’t, somehow we still believe our senses when they spin the same lie the next moment. Oh that didn’t make you happy, but the next jolt of pleasure surely will. Over and over, our senses will let us chase our entire lives if we let them. Eventually we just start barking in frustration just like Trek, not even knowing what we are chasing anymore.

Our senses would lead us to believe a simple equation of life is, more pleasure = a good life and more pain = a bad life. But a better equation would be, life = pleasure and pain. Remembering that both are temporary and a part of a natural life reduces attachment. Less attachment means less time in hunt mode. Less time in hunt mode means less chaotic chasing. Less chaotic chasing means more peace and ease.

Isn’t that what we are all after!? A little more calm and peace in our lives? Perhaps it has nothing to do with what we are experiencing but how we are framing that experience in our mind. Letting our senses dictate our experiences, being in hunt mode all the time, is just not what most of us need. All it will lead to is us running around in circles exhausting ourselves and never really getting what we want in the end.

As fun as it was to see Trek jump into hunt mode for a bit this morning, I am incredibly grateful that he is not constantly in that state. Within 15 minutes, he was back to his normal self, lounging in the sun, relaxed as can be. Hunt mode isn’t bad, it is just not how we should constantly live.

So next time you feel your senses taking the lead and chasing your chipmunks, get curious about what you’re seeking or avoiding. Is being in hunt mode benefiting you? Remember that all experiences are temporary and nothing external to ourselves will bring lasting peace and ease. Chipmunks will always be around us, the trick is to not let our senses constantly chase them.