Scouting the Horizon

Frequently on social media you see games that entice with phrases like, "What Old West character would you be if you had been alive in the 1870's?" or something similar.  I say "entice" because they are primarily a way for someone to gain access to your profile and your contacts.  They are bait.

Although I don't click on them, they do sometimes cause me to speculate.  The question above is one that has intrigued me throughout my life.  I have always been a "fan" of the old west and have many books related to the history of that time during the westward movement of "civilization" across our country.  We will set aside the debate about "stealing" the land from the natives, etc. for another time.

My answer to the question is that I think I would have been a Scout/Tracker.  Scouts were employed by wagon trains, the cavalry and law enforcement.  Their job was to stay ahead, searching out the trail, water holes, food and danger.  They tended to be loners and they were often familiar with the country and the natives because it wasn't their first time to cross the area.  They were usually good at reading "sign" and able to tell a good deal about potential danger from tracks and other evidence left behind.  I suspect they spent a lot of time thinking.

The reason I believe that role fits is because that's where I like to be -- out ahead, looking for the path, watching for danger and for opportunity.  It is part of what drives me to spend time each morning thinking about the day and the future.  I examine the current situation and then think about the various paths forward and often speculate on what might happen depending on different scenarios that could develop.  It isn't "daydreaming" about things, it is deliberately thinking through potential consequences of present actions.  It is a  form of flexible planning.

That mindset is part of the reason I like to write.  I suspect you will see signs of that speculation in the things I record here on this blog as well as elsewhere, such as the column I write for CALF News.  I like to think about the future.  That's where opportunity resides and being among the first to spot opportunity gives one an advantage.  If our focus is merely on the present, or even worse, strictly on the past, we miss much of what life has to offer.

Well, enough of that for this morning.  I need to head on out and see what's over the horizon.  Y'all drink your coffee....