I have to admit that my faith in the competency of my vet was shaken when he asked this question, but he was making a good point. You see, I have a very anxious cat. He does not handle stress well and it causes him to have eye infections. He had these a lot when he was a kitten but I've been able to keep his stress levels in check. Like most cats he doesn't like change and there are a myriad of things that can tweak him.
The one thing that tweaks him the most is *my* stress level. If I am upset or crazed (conditions I often find myself in) he is an absolute wreck. Sometimes it makes me stress more, knowing that my stress is causing him distress. Other times I use it as a way of letting go of some of the BS because we'll both feel better in the end.
We need to learn from each other. I need to learn to focus on the important things in life and not get so wrapped up in the day-to-day. He needs to learn that if I pack a bag it doesn't mean I'm leaving him forever. He also needs to learn that the shower isn't hurting me and that 10 minutes of peace with hot water will be the best thing for us both.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Content of my character...or the contents of my pockets
I've been thinking about Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. lately. With all the talk of equal rights and a new social movement, I guess it's natural that thoughts lean in his direction. The "I Have A Dream" speech is one of the finest in history. I'm sure you are familiar with the gist of it particularly the part where he hopes that one day his children will "not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Powerful words, no?
It got me to thinking though - what traits am I judged by? We all do it - judge each other, I mean. We make assumptions about people based on how they dress, or how they walk and talk. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It's human nature.
I have come across something in a lot of the crime novels and non-fiction I have read - particularly how a corpse is identified by the contents of their pockets. Not just ID, but the random assortment of things they carried on them at the time of their demise. For these poor souls, they are not initially judged by the content of their character, but rather by the content of their pockets.
Makes you think - what do you carry in your pockets and how do they reflect the person you truly are? Do you have a special key chain or good luck charm that you carry with you? Spare change, lint, and old receipts would most likely be found in searching my pockets. Perhaps from that one would deduce that I am a bit of a pack rat, one who doesn't get rid of things too easily even if they are old or spare. Or perhaps the only deduction is that I had some leftover change from a recent purchase. What do you think?
It got me to thinking though - what traits am I judged by? We all do it - judge each other, I mean. We make assumptions about people based on how they dress, or how they walk and talk. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It's human nature.
I have come across something in a lot of the crime novels and non-fiction I have read - particularly how a corpse is identified by the contents of their pockets. Not just ID, but the random assortment of things they carried on them at the time of their demise. For these poor souls, they are not initially judged by the content of their character, but rather by the content of their pockets.
Makes you think - what do you carry in your pockets and how do they reflect the person you truly are? Do you have a special key chain or good luck charm that you carry with you? Spare change, lint, and old receipts would most likely be found in searching my pockets. Perhaps from that one would deduce that I am a bit of a pack rat, one who doesn't get rid of things too easily even if they are old or spare. Or perhaps the only deduction is that I had some leftover change from a recent purchase. What do you think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)