Hoka Hey!

Paul has a dog and his name is Cola. Cola usually wears an electric collar that shocks him if he goes beyond the property line. Today Paul and I wanted to take Cola for a walk, so we took off his collar and strapped up his harness and leash.

As we approached the boundary, Cola froze. This is where he usually gets hurt. I saw a doubt and uncertainty quell up inside him as he feared for his protection. Why would his owner want him to get hurt? But this is a normal reaction when we face the unknown, the seemingly impenetrable. It’s up to us to choose how we are going to respond.

After a moment’s hesitation, Cola chose to run full-on towards the once killer force.

If he could speak human, I believe he would’ve said, “Hoka Hey!”

Made famous by Crazy Horse, the Lakota war leader, Hoka Hey is a native American battle cry. “Hoka Hey!” Crazy Horse would yell as he led his troops into battle, followed by, “Today is a good day to die!” Or so the legend goes.

But I’ve heard Hoka Hey doesn’t translate to Today is a good day to die. Rather, it better translates to “advance without fear.” That is a pretty revolutionary way to live.

Advance without fear. Recognize today may be the last. Give it everything you have.

Hoka Hey.