A number of years ago, I read a magazine article by life coach Martha Beck about ‘hot tracks.’ If a hunter is tracking an animal, one approach is to find concrete evidence, or a hot track, of the animal’s existence – a paw print in mud, scat, a recent meal, etc. From that physical point, the hunter then chooses a logical direction in which the animal might have gone, and pursues looking for more recent hot tracks. If no further signs appear, the hunter returns to the place she knows the animal once visited and chooses another direction.
Now, when we use that as a metaphor for the internal searches in our own lives, a hot track for us becomes a moment of excitement, a feeling of aliveness, a dot of true presence. What’s going on around us when that moment comes? Take note of what the scene holds – thoughts, feelings, environment, memories – because this can be wildly useful information as we seek out more authentically joyful experiences for ourselves and our children. And they are not as rare as we might think.
Here’s one of mine. My family lives in a small community surrounding a lake, and the last year has witnessed an impressive dredging project. One evening, we wandered down to the empty lake bed to find a flatbed 18-wheeler spinning its wheels in the mud. The bulldozer intended for its cargo was pushing the massive truck sideways and at odd angles to help the truck wheels grab ground again. This scene lit up every neuron in my head, folks. I was dancing around in the street, hooting and hollering support, offering an additional set of eyes for the task. When they finally managed it – a husband and wife team, mom in the truck, dad in the ‘dozer – I wanted to hug them both.
This probably sounds silly to you, and that’s ok. It’s likely not your hot track — it’s mine. Participating in or even just observing the process of creating unusual solutions is something that makes me dance in the streets. If I’d been looking for a new career in that moment, an observer might have (wrongly) signed me up for large equipment management certification. But no, return to the concrete evidence and search again, this was totally about problem-solving, about working one’s way out of a tight spot that initially looks hopeless. I just love that.
Hot tracks in our lives can also be more subtle. They are as useful in seeking out self-care opportunities as they are in helping our children find a really good fit in an afterschool activity, but only if we’re listening carefully. A few minutes ago, someone said the words “hot stone massage” to me. My brain lit up like Manhattan at midnight, even though other friends specifically saying “you should consider getting a massage next week” had no impact at all. I am beginning to listen more carefully to these messages, even when I don’t know why it’s something I find exciting.
Hot tracks are messages to ourselves that something here is worth paying attention to; something here is related to the things we are uniquely wired to want; something here should be pursued again and again. Acting on a hot track builds trust with our younger selves and with our children — “hmmm, someone here is going to take me seriously… what else might I feel safe enough to share?”
