Elephant Paths

 There is this thing in society called elephant paths which are defined as "informal trails created by people's everyday movements in public spaces. These paths are often the most direct, efficient, and natural route to a destination, and can differ from paved walkways." 

When I'm out walking I seem to pass them things frequently, they pop up everywhere and its this really interesting thing about human nature, we will pursue what we want quite often in the easiest most direct way. You might be thinking... hey Eli... why are you spending this much time thinking about elephant paths? Well... first I would like to remind you that you have no obligation to read this, but given the sunk cost fallacy you'll probably want to know what the heck my point is.  

I seem to relate strongly as an addict to the idea of the simple most direct path to get what I want has always been the one I have previously taken. Anything to feed the addiction was done with haste and all other things were irrelevant. The whole idea of the elephant paths is that they are quite often cutting corners and boy do I feel that. 

People that have known me my whole life describe me as lazy, I've never felt that was a very accurate way to describe me. I'm incredibly driven, scarily so when its a path that I want to forge. The underhanded ingenuity of Eli the food addict as a small child was a huge demonstration of that drive.  I remember that my mother offered me my bus money as a an incentive to bike to school hoping that it would help with my weightloss... I'd cycle seven kilometres to school with quite often five budget 1.5L cola bottles in my bag that I'd spent my bus money on and take the effort to hide the bottles when I'd finished with them. My shoulders would ache from the weight of the drinks by the time I got home and yet I did it every day. 

Still to this day I am driven by this maniac desire to chase what I want to chase. Food being removed from the equation is all well and good but then this gaping hole in me that I used to shove a cheeseburger (or four) into is still remaining. I'm trying however to lead my inner elephant rather than let it forge it's own path and I have somehow managed to exert self control that I didn't know that I had. I think as I grow into myself emotionally while shrinking physically this drive I have is going to be potentially my biggest hurdle and my greatest asset, I just have to learn to want things that are good for me and channel my relentlessness into pursuing these.