Like Cheetah Magic

I was driving from Pennsylvania to Ohio one spring day to meet up with some women on my team. 6 hours seemed like 45 min. I was caught up in thought.

I wondered if a cheetah felt like I did --- high, determined, and intentional. When it was on the hunt. I suspected it did.

Do you ever feel this way? High, electric, streaming, focused, joy-filled. To clarify….I wasn’t on a hunt, but I was in a blissful hypnotic state.

Cheetahs, as most of us know, are the fastest land animal on earth.

It’s not just their speed alone that comes to my mind though. What else was there?

I read on to find out that most female cheetahs are loners, independent, except for some mother-daughter pairs. Males are more social and typically group together for life. They use their tails for navigation when they are in pursuit of prey, the key to acceleration and quick change in direction. Cheetahs hunt by vision rather than scent, usually in the early morning or dusk hours, when other predators are at rest. They almost always require 30 minutes to recover from a hunt sprint. They are not the strongest of the territory predators, and often lose their kill to another, even one that would surprise us…a hyena. Up to 90% of cubs are killed in the first weeks of life by other predators, although a healthy adult cheetah has few enemies because of its speed. Cheetahs are extremely vocal, with a variety of “calls”, despite their inability to roar. So much I didn’t know, or I should say, didn’t remember from my grade school animal science report.

Words that help us reflect:

• Loners alone vs. lonely…why do we not make enough time to be alone?
• Navigation devise. How do we lead ourselves, what do we follow?
• Vision - are we clear?
• Recovery - do we use this tool? Why are we afraid to rest?
• Not the strongest, but the brightest?
• Speed - a burst of speed, focus, intent - when do we feel joy?
• The young need high alert protection. Do we protect our young enough?
• A healthy adult has few enemies, yes?
• Language - what do we say to our own selves? To others? What’s wrong with roaring?

What thoughts come up for you?