Coffee and A Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life is how I started 2023. This was my second time through this little gem of pithy prose.
The Premise
Boyd Varty grew up on a game preserve in South Africa. His grandfather converted a bankrupt cattle ranch into a lion-hunting enterprise. Spoiler alert: the lions were eating the cattle. His father would do the right thing and bring it back to its natural state and a safari operation. Boyd would learn the art of tracking here.
Boyd brings a refreshing look at life through the eyes of a tracker. Interlaced with the culture of the Shangaan, Boyd takes us through a day tracking a lion. His two mentors, Alex and Ren, provide context, wisdom, and a view of life through two men deeply connected to nature. For the metaphors, I’ll keep coming back to this one. Excerpts like this that make it worth it:
“Ren lives outside the deceptions of modern life. Its structured psychological outlook has not affected him, and I know that he is a living clue to a different way of being. He doesn’t concern himself with the attainment of status or wealth. He doesn’t worry about his security in the future or his position within a social group. He doesn’t talk about politics or worry that he isn’t doing enough. To him, time is not money. Productivity is not a reflection of his value. He considers treadmills ridiculous. When it’s time to work, he works. When it’s time to rest, he rests.”
It’s short, only 90 pages. A lifetime of advice in its brevity, like this:
“Track what makes you feel good and bring more of it into your life. Notice what makes you feel lousy and do less of it.”
More of my Favorites
“I tend to just accept what I see. Ren always looks closer, he always asks why. He has a gift for examining the wallpaper of life.”
Why do the elephants eat in the morning? The answer is simple, but that’s not the entire answer. Boyd accepts the first answer while Ren, his mentor, keeps asking why. There is more than what we see on the surface.
"You can’t think your way to a calling. Finding what is uniquely yours requires more than rationality."
This stings a little. For rationality, what are we talking about? The rationality of comparison? What did your parents want? What society tells you is right? What role do you think you play for others? You won’t find your calling in a pro/con list. It’s emotional, not logical.
"We live with our attention directed outward. We focus on the social cues of our culture. We look to others to define our path and value, and purpose. We lose ourselves in shoulds."
I talked about warriors and how they look in. Boyd is saying the same. Don’t look to society to define your path. If you do, you might find yourself walking down the wrong path. Don’t forget: just because you can win the game doesn’t mean you should play.
"We must learn to read the subtle tracks of the body, the way it relaxes and opens when something feels right, the contraction and tightness when we are not where we are meant to be."
Perhaps my favorite, I feel this deeply. You know when something feels right and when it doesn’t. How often do we not listen to our bodies while our minds are wrapped up in rationalizations? Or fear? Or competition?
"I don’t know where I’m going, but I know exactly how to get there, whispers the wild self. Learn to be natural."
Instinct gets us to our feet. As toddlers, we stumble around exploring while our dotting parents, if lucky, keep an eye out. Our days are filled with eating, napping, and - well, the rest. Our early time at school let us finger-paint our joyful hearts away. We do what feels right, and at some point, the natural path gets supplanted by something else. Maybe there is a way to find our way back to finger painting, kindness, and homemade cookies.
"I remain deeply convinced that a person who tracks down an authentic life opens up possibilities for themselves, their family, and their larger community. In these times, as the planet screams at us to reimagine our way of life, these new possibilities are deeply important."
Maybe this is what matters. What would the world be like if all 8 billion of us could do what we are best in the world at and love? Easy for me to say as I sit in this fancy chair with all my privilege. There is work I have to do to track down the authentic me. I’m incredibly lucky I can even consider this, and as such, don’t I have an obligation to act?
Why I Love It?
The sketches, prose, and being easily consumable make it one of my favorites. Boyd’s writing is punchy but beautiful at the right moments - like nature in that way. I felt like I was hiding behind the tree with Boyd, Alex, and Ren as the bull elephant charged the air around us with his presence.
"We must leave the safety of the village and venture out onto the trail of something wild and uncertain and as yet undefined. We must live on that trail, propelled forward by a set of clues only you will recognize by the aliveness they bring out in you. You must teach yourself to see your track.”
You won’t find the tracks sitting at home, and sometimes you will lose the track. When that happens, return to the last track. Begin again. Losing the track is often more important.
Take care, friends.
“Living Outside The Deceptions of the Modern Life”