I’m not sure if it’s hormones (yes, boys, they’re not a myth!) or stress or maybe a divine enlightenment of sorts, but lately I’ve been more in tune with just how obnoxious citizens of this Earth are. In fact, the other night (while sipping on a big glass of red wine, natch) I was having a conversation with a friend when this topic came up. I was tired, a wee bit drunk and I needed to vent. I was getting very riled up and I remember my friend telling me to slow down because I was talking a mile a minute. I took a deep breath and that’s when the words slipped out of my mouth: “I swear, I like my pets so much more than people!”
I was dead serious …. and here’s why:
People are rude.
Why doesn’t anyone have manners anymore? I mean, seriously. I rarely hear the words “thank you” and “you’re welcome” anymore (those are the two easiest polite phrases to remember, by the way) and when I do, it’s usually tinged with some sort of sarcastic undertone.
Nobody waits their turn anymore and when they do – they don’t do it patiently because DUH! they’re more important than you and they have to rush off to their very important life with other very important people.
People litter, steal, cheat and lie.
People have no respect for other people.
People are, as my mother likes to say, “just plain rude”. When was the last time a puppy was rude to you? Oh, that’s right … never.
People expect too much.
I like to think of myself as a giving person. I’m think I’m friendly, and I sometimes have a very hard time saying no when it comes to helping another person out – regardless of whether their a friend, family member, total stranger or something in-between. When I do say no, though, I mean it. Respect that, and back off.
This is true in an emotional sense, too. My feelings are mine – stop trying to change them and please, don’t judge me for them either. My mood is my mood: if I feel like talking, I’ll talk (and yeah, this is most of the time – so get used to it). If I want to sit in silence, let me and please don’t remind me every 20 minutes just how quiet I AM being.
While The Beatles weren’t actually … pet beetles (or beetles, period), they did have a good point: Let It Be!
Pets get this. Pets live this.
The biggest difference between humans and pets is also the biggest reason why I prefer these furry creatures to my two legged counterparts:
People are incapable of loving unconditionally.
Love is a funny thing with humans. Sometimes we can’t find it, sometimes we’re surrounded by it. Sometimes it lasts a few weeks and sometimes it lasts years. There’s family-love and friend-love and husband-love and wife-love and the list goes on. Unconditional love (in the true sense of the word), though? I’m not sure it exists in the human race. Our feelings are too complex for that. And while that’s a good thing in many ways, there’s something about the love you get from a pet that can make you wish it were possible in humans .. for me, at least.
I understand that I may sound like a crazy cat-lady in training, but extremes are what get attention these days. The lesson here is a simple one, and one I would like you to think about seriously …
How can we be more like our pets? should translate to How can we be better people?
How can you improve the lives of those around you? How can you be more polite, more accepting and more loving? How can you make other people feel good, instead of bad?
It may be cliche or corny or totally wacky to you. Ignore those feelings! Think about it, write notes, discuss it with friends, discuss it in the comments … and then implement the changes. Do it for me, okay?
