June 2025

Tracking Mysteries

06/30/2025

This summer, the topic of mysteries has come up in multiple ways for me and brought some interesting insight.

The human desire for solving unknowns is evident in the ongoing popularity of mystery stories on TV and in books! A few months ago I snagged a few of my mom’s old Tony Hillerman novels while visiting her in Arizona. They have become my summer reading escape. Set in the Navajo Nation, the descriptions of that high desert terrain and the thunderstorms rolling in have a way of taking me home, though the cultural setting with a tribal police detective brings in new mysteries that were definitely not my childhood experience farther south in Tucson!

Recently, at a graduation party, a young animal science major was talking with me about being a veterinarian, which is a big commitment - financially, mentally, and more. I asked her what it was about veterinary medicine that she found intriguing, what called to her. She thought a moment and said it was the medicine, the problem-solving. I replied, “Like a detective.” She agreed. I have continued to ponder that answer as it steps into our greater human nature. How many career choices are made in search of challenges and mysteries?

A few weeks later in a naturalist group, the topic of mysteries was presented in the form of looking at tracks and sign, chasing the many questions including: Who was this? What were they doing? When did this happen? Where did they go?

The follow-up topic to this tracking conversation was embracing the ability to be comfortable with the answer “I don’t know.” The idea that every question has an answer, a right and a wrong, can limit our creativity and desire to continue searching. Being open to the uncertainty of not knowing not only expands our awareness but also builds our knowledge base in seemingly unrelated topics.

Some answers are definitive, and that can be extremely satisfying. Sometimes the answer is “It depends,” as an Ayurvedic herbalism teacher of mine frequently repeated. Often more questions are needed.

As humans, we are hard-wired for problem-solving. The survival of our ancestors depended upon these skills for tracking, plant identification, building shelters, and the many innovations that brought us into the modern day.

As we try to find our way in life, one valuable question may be - What problems am I most interested in solving?

What mysteries are you tracking this summer?

Kris August

Celebrating the Interconnectedness of Life

Tracking Mysteries

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