Dreams are a funny thing. We all imagine ourselves; on top of the podium, owning the company, losing the weight, earning the scholarship, etc. But most don’t consider or withstand the long duration of suffering to achieve what we are looking for. Most dreams die on the vine. Those that endure, that keep going; they find that seeking out discomfort really shows a person what they have inside. They receive suffering, in that; it leads to life filled with that much more wonderment because of the succession. 

I think that we all go through life looking to find what is worth suffering for. Over time you become more resilient to failure and go with the ebbs and flows of it all. You look around, see life in the eyes of the present, connect and really enjoy the process of the pursuit. For an elk hunter, amidst the discomfort, it’s; the crystal blue sky, the clouds inching their way through the atmosphere, the flapping leaves of the aspen, the creek cascading on the rocks below, and by Heaven’s grace the crescendo of a bugling bull in the distance. Every last detail is amplified in bliss. But there is an initiative within the hunter, other than just being in nature; you are there to be a predator. You must encompass your surroundings. Evaluate your ridges and recede slowly; like entering water without a ripple. And when a kill is received; you understand that you are not there to distinguish yourself as superior to the wild, but to receive it. Find your purpose and fit into life’s puzzle. Leave your ego at the truck and with every step; begin to understand more of what this journey is all about.