Missing the kibbles for the bits

I'm mixing my metaphors here, but Kibbles & Bits works better than Nine Lives or Whiskas, so give me some creative license here....

Before I go to the gym every morning, I first feed the Ted the cat, then take Mr. James out for a quick pre-dawn walk around the block. Ted is an outdoor cat who takes his meals from a dish on the front step. He usually eats about half of what I give him -- a spoonful, a whole can, six cans, no matter the amount he starts with, he eats about half of it -- then rests under a bush for awhile before returning to finish. Mr. James knows there is usually cat food in that dish when we head out for our walk, and generally gets to the dish and scores a couple of bites before I can close the front door and pull him away.

This morning, however, I'd dropped one small bit of cat food on the step next to the half-eaten dish. Mr. James shot out the door as usual, saw the single bite and gobbled it up, giving me just the time I needed to pull the door shut and keep him away from the dish altogether.

Worked out great for Ted, who actually got his full second-half meal when he later emerged from the bushes. But in going for what was immediately apparent in the moment and failing to see the big picture, Mr. James missed the more bountiful breakfast opportunity just inches away.

So while I can learn a lot from Mr. James' laser-focus on the bits in the now, when it matters I'll still go for the kibbles.