Monthly Monday: "Pursuit"

A Conversation

            “What are you doing?” one man asked.

            Slow to answer, he replied, “Trying to find what’s been lost.”

            “Where will you go?” another spoke.

            “I will chase the sun.”

            “And what will that gain you?” the first inquired.

            “Does it matter?”

            The two looked away from him to each other with confused expressions.

            “What would happen should you fall behind in your pursuit?” the first asked with a less puzzled look.

            “That,” he said, “is when the sun will come back around. Then, it will chase me.”

by MFW III

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Author's Note

I wrote this a couple years ago when I was trying to put words to a song. There was this beautiful song I wrote for guitar, but I didn't have any lyrics for it. One day I decided to put lyrics to it and dedicated it to my then girlfriend. I don't have the words anymore, but I remember the chorus had a line that said: "We'll chase the sun." And with that, I believe, the thought for this conversation arose.

This isn't much of a story, which is why I subtitle it "A Conversation." I like the idea of running towards the sun knowing that you couldn't keep up with it, but also knowing that it would soon rise behind you.

It's a metaphor. For what, though, anyone could say. The purpose of this author's note, however, is to tell you my own interpretation, which I had never intended when I wrote it; because, when I wrote it, I never thought of it as being all that special. I just though it sounded nice. I read it aloud to a friend one day and it gave him chills. As a writer, that is one of the best unspoken compliments you can get.

I see the sun as being the passion you chase. Personally, I think a person's passion defines him. So in chasing this passion, you are, per se, chasing yourself. In the conversation, "he" says he is trying to find something that's lost. I think what he's lost is himself and he is chasing his passion to find and become again who he was. But a person is ever-changing and will never be who he was. With that in mind, a person will always be who he is. So even if he doesn't find himself, even if he cannot keep up with the sun, the sun will always come back around, and he will always be who he is. In searching for who he is, who he is will find him.