0:00 A wild rabbit can hit speeds of up to forty-five miles per hour.0:04 That’s faster than even the most determined squirrel hoarding nuts for winter, as our friend Squeaky showed us last week.0:13 But as a young rabbit named Barnaby was about to find out, sometimes the fastest way forward… isn’t a straight line.0:22 Barnaby was a rabbit in a hurry.0:24 He lived in a meadow that smelled of clover and warm earth, but he rarely noticed.0:30 His nose wasn’t for smelling flowers; it was for twitching with impatience.0:36 His long ears weren’t for listening to the buzz of honeybees; they were for catching the first sign of something NEW, something NEXT.0:46 And his powerful back legs weren’t just for hopping.0:50 They were for getting there FIRST.0:52 One morning, the dew was still sparkling on the grass when Barnaby saw it.0:58 Across the entire length of the meadow, nestled at the edge of the farmer’s garden, was a patch of carrots.1:06 And not just any carrots.1:08 These were glorious.1:09 Plump.1:09 Orange so bright it almost hurt his eyes.1:13 Their feathery green tops danced in the breeze, practically waving him over.1:18 He had to have one.1:20 He had to have one NOW.1:21 He could see the other rabbits, gathering at the edge of the warren.1:26 They were preparing for the journey.1:29 They would take the long path, the one that wound safely along the stone wall, dipped into the cool shade of the oak trees, and followed the babbling creek.1:41 It was the sensible path.1:42 The tested path.1:44 The SLOW path.1:45 Barnaby just shook his head.1:47 While they were all sniffing the air and chatting, he was calculating.1:52 He saw a direct line.1:54 A perfect, straight shot right across the open middle of the meadow.1:59 It would cut the journey in half.2:01 Maybe even more.2:02 Why walk all the way around a room when you can just walk through it?2:07 He gave a little flick of his ears, a silent goodbye to the slowpokes.2:13 And then he was OFF.2:14 The feeling was incredible.2:16 Wind whistling past his ears, the ground a blur of green and yellow beneath his paws.2:22 This was what he was MADE for.2:25 Speed.2:25 Power.2:26 Efficiency.2:26 He dodged a thistle here, leaped over a tussock of grass there.2:31 He felt brilliant.2:32 He felt unstoppable.2:34 Then he hit the mud.2:35 He didn't see it coming.2:37 One moment he was flying, the next he was sinking.2:41 A patch of marshy ground, hidden by tall reeds, grabbed his paws with a thick, sticky GLOOP.2:48 He struggled, pulling and twisting, but it only seemed to suck him in deeper.2:53 Panic flared in his chest.2:55 He finally wrenched himself free, but he was covered in thick, smelly mud.3:01 His clean white fur was stained a miserable brown.3:05 And he had wasted SO much time.3:07 He looked over toward the stone wall.3:10 He could just see the other rabbits, hopping along in a neat, calm line.3:15 They were farther along than he was.3:18 Impossible.3:18 Shaking the mud from his paws, he started again.3:22 He was angry now.3:23 He’d show them.3:24 He just needed another shortcut.3:27 He saw a dense thicket of blackberry bushes ahead.3:31 Going around would take ages.3:33 But he spotted a small gap near the bottom.3:36 It looked tight, but he was a rabbit.3:39 He could squeeze through ANYTHING.3:41 He lowered his head and pushed.3:43 The gap was smaller than it looked.3:46 And it was full of thorns.3:48 Sharp, cruel thorns that snagged his fur and pricked his sensitive nose.3:53 One caught his ear, tearing a tiny little nick in the soft fur.3:58 He yelped and tried to back out, but he was stuck.4:02 He had to twist and pull, getting more and more scratched up with every movement.4:08 Finally, he was free.4:09 But he was a mess.4:11 Muddy, scratched, and his ear was throbbing.4:14 And the other rabbits?4:16 They were now disappearing into the shade of the oak trees, still moving at their steady, unbothered pace.4:23 Barnaby’s heart thumped with a mix of fury and despair.4:28 This wasn't fair.4:29 He was the fastest.4:30 He was the smartest.4:32 Why was everything going WRONG?4:34 He took a deep breath.4:36 One last try.4:37 He saw another clear stretch.4:39 No mud, no thorns.4:40 Just open field.4:41 He put his head down and ran, pouring every last bit of his energy into it.4:47 He was flying again, leaving his frustration behind him.4:51 He was making up for lost time.4:53 He was going to WIN.4:55 And that’s when a shadow fell over him.4:58 It was huge.4:59 And it was silent.5:00 Barnaby skidded to a stop, his blood running cold.5:04 He didn’t dare look up.5:05 He knew what it was.5:07 A hawk.5:07 Circling high above, its sharp eyes scanning the field for a flash of white fur.5:13 For a careless, rushing rabbit all alone in the open.5:17 He dove for the nearest cover, a pathetic little clump of weeds that barely hid him.5:24 He squeezed himself flat against the earth, trying not to breathe, trying not to exist.5:30 His heart hammered against his ribs so hard he thought the hawk must be able to hear it.5:37 He stayed there, frozen in terror, for what felt like a lifetime.5:41 The shadow circled once… twice… and then, finally, it drifted away.5:46 Slowly, shakily, Barnaby crawled out from under the weeds.5:51 He was trembling.5:52 The race was over.5:53 He had lost.5:54 All his speed, all his clever shortcuts, had brought him nothing but mud, scratches, and fear.6:01 Defeated, he looked across the meadow.6:04 There was no sign of the others.6:06 They were probably at the carrot patch already, enjoying the best of the harvest.6:12 There was nothing left to do.6:15 He turned, and with a heavy sigh, he began to limp toward the long, slow path by the stone wall.6:22 He started along it, his head hung low.6:25 There was no rush now.6:26 No point.6:27 He just put one paw in front of the other.6:30 And a funny thing happened.6:32 Because he was moving slowly, he noticed a patch of dandelions growing right by the path.6:39 Not the big, bitter ones, but the young, tender ones.6:43 On impulse, he stopped and nibbled a leaf.6:46 It was sweet.6:47 And delicious.6:48 He ate another.6:49 A little farther on, the path dipped toward the creek.6:53 He heard the gentle gurgle of the water, a sound he’d never really listened to before.6:59 He was thirsty after his ordeal.7:02 He hopped to the bank and took a long, cool drink.7:05 The water was clean and refreshing, washing the dusty taste of fear from his mouth.7:12 As he was drinking, a tiny field mouse scurried up.7:15 "Hello!" she squeaked.7:17 "On your way to the carrots?" Barnaby just nodded, too tired to speak.7:22 "Well," she said, "if you're not in a rush, there's a patch of wild strawberries just behind those ferns.7:30 They're perfectly ripe today." Strawberries?7:33 He hesitated.7:34 But… he wasn't in a rush anymore, was he?7:37 He thanked the mouse and hopped over.7:40 She was right.7:41 Hidden from the main path were a dozen tiny, jewel-red strawberries.7:46 He ate one.7:47 It exploded in his mouth, a burst of pure summer sweetness.7:51 It was the most wonderful thing he had ever tasted.7:55 When Barnaby finally arrived at the farmer's garden, the sun was low in the sky.8:01 The other rabbits were there, just as he’d expected.8:05 They were finishing up, their bellies full.8:08 Most of the biggest, juiciest carrots were gone.8:12 The old Barnaby would have been furious.8:15 He would have stamped his foot and sulked.8:18 But the new Barnaby just felt… calm.8:20 He found a perfectly nice carrot that had been overlooked, pulled it from the soft earth, and sat down.8:28 He took a bite.8:29 It was crisp, and sweet, and good.8:32 But as he chewed, he thought about the tender dandelion leaf.8:36 He thought about the cool, clear water from the creek.8:40 He thought about the surprising, perfect sweetness of the wild strawberry.8:46 The carrot was the prize he had been racing for.8:49 But it wasn't the only prize.8:52 It might not even have been the best one.8:55 He finished his carrot, not rushing.8:57 He sat and watched as the sky turned from orange to purple.9:02 He watched the first fireflies begin to blink on in the twilight, tiny floating lanterns in the growing dark.9:10 And for the first time in his life, Barnaby the rabbit felt no need to be anywhere else at all.9:17 He was simply… here.9:18 And here was more than enough.
