This film by Cale Glendening is about much more than just Mongolian eagle hunting.

It’s about family….and tradition…and feeling the need to actively work at preserving something unique and good.

We had a conversation about travelling last night….and I think that it was decided that I don’t really like to travel.

That’s not really true, though.

I love to travel.

What freaks me out some is “responsibility”…..whatever that word means.

Put me in an unfamiliar situation where the risk and responsibility factor rises, and I get….what’s a good word?

“Watchful”.

Watchful with a little too much quiet intensity.

It’s unpleasant, I’m sure.

When the watchful moves into the squealing, overly demonstrative paranoia and negativity category, it must be unbearable.

Of course, that never happens.

Luckily, for the people around me, that never happens.

This guy trains eagles to hunt.

He stopped learning how to do that when he took over a lot of the herding needs of the tribe at 6.

Now he’s learning the skills to pay tribute to his father….and to tradition.

That’s some crazy stuff, that….eagle hunting!

Who knew you could train an eagle to hunt for you?

(I did, actually. I know about falconry. It’s pretty amazing…)

There’s so much going on around us while we’re doing things.

I am teaching my children by example.

They know that when they hear me cussing out in the driveway when I’m working on my car, at some point I’ll probably come into the house greasy….and, depending on how much cussing I was doing, possibly bloody.

Nah….that’s too theatrical.

Probably just greasy.

Anyway….I freak out about responsibility.

And…I freak out about freaking out about responsibility.

That’s a lot of freaking out.

I have to be pretty quiet about it, too.

I can’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater.

My molecules have to vibrate wildly inside a placid static frame.

I love to travel….and I would love to wear a furry hat and ride with an eagle on my shoulder.

It wouldn’t get any cooler than that.

I need to stop feeling freaked out about stuff to even start being cool, though.

That’s a big responsibility.