Life offers two choices.

We can live scurrying for survival or soaring to the unlimited heights. The choices are modelled by these two creatures.

A few months back while sitting in a boat fishing with a couple of friends, I noticed a field mouse on the river bank. He emerged out of his hole, darted in a couple of directions, and then scurried back. I thought of the existence of this little creature. His life is spent running around, frightened and frantic, following his nose.

He darts here, scurries there, turns in circles, but never really sees much beyond his nose. He is trying to sniff his way to successful living, which defined, by a mouse’s existence, is finding some daily morsel, to sustain him, so that he can carry on for the rest of his life, frightened and frantic. Sound familiar.

A few minutes later I glanced up and noticed soaring high above was an Osprey. Rather than a picture of a frightened and frantic existence, I saw a wide winged creature using the air currents to maneuver majestically in the unlimited heights.

Rather than sniffing out a meager existence, this keen eyed hunter with a panoramic view of the river and lake beneath, was simply waiting for the appropriate time to swoop and capture his prey. The amazing creature, rather than return to some tiny hole in the river bank, glides toward a nest fashioned at the top of the tallest of trees.

The strength in his wings, the power in his talons , the amazing capacity of his vision, the effortless capacity to soar, it is the osprey, not the field mouse that models our human potential.

I don’t know about you, but it is easy for me to decide which creature I want to exemplify my life. I want to soar. I want to explore. I want to see the big picture. I want to conquer . I want to climb higher, go farther, dive deeper, and experience more.

I want my soul enlarged, my mind expanded, my heart enlivened and my spirit energized. I want the scurrying to stop. I want the frantic darting about following my nose to end. I want new strength, fresh thinking, clear vision and resolved courage. I want to be more and more like the osprey.