Running with Sherman

“Slowly, a shadow detached itself from the darkness. Its long ears rose, twitching nervously as it struggled to take a step toward us.”

McDougall recounts his first sight of Sherman, emphasizing the “darkness” that suggests Sherman’s profound loneliness. There is, however, a spark of hope: The movement of Sherman’s ears means he is still engaged with life, as Scott points out in the next chapter. Sherman’s ears are the first aspect of the donkey McDougall learns to read—already his journey to connection has begun.

“[Y]ou can’t just stick a ribbon on his tail and leave him standing in a field like Eeyore. He’s been abused and abandoned, and that can make an animal sick with despair. You need to give this animal a purpose.”

The advice Tanya gives McDougall here resounds throughout the book. The notion of a purpose conferring self-worth is vital to the healing process of both Sherman, and later Zeke, and it is this which inspires in McDougall the idea of running the World Championship. Most important, however, is Tanya’s urging to look at the world from Sherman’s perspective. This compassionate advice is what finally allows McDougall his breakthrough with Sherman.

“The Tao of Steve wasn’t pickup-artist stuff; it was more like a guide to better living through impulse control, based on the premise that you get what you want only when you stop wanting it.”

McDougall introduces his Tao-like philosophy in its proto-stage. His early conception of it is stunted by its selfishness, as he describes it as a method for securing a desire. This will shift as he begins to apply the philosophy to training the donkeys: He realizes he must discard his ego, or his desires, to gain a full connection with