Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2004. I absolutely love this photo! We received some Christmas packages in the mail, and we stored them under the staircase. However, boxes intrigued both Mattie and Patches. Patches was rubbing her head against the boxes and Mattie simply wanted to open the boxes. Both of them had to fight their instincts. But what I love about this photo was it showed the sweet bond between Mattie and Patches. Even at the age of two, Mattie was learning the responsible behavior of being a pet owner. Over time, Mattie understood that he had to pet Patches gently and not to run after her or pull her tail. In fact, when friends would come over who were not cat owners, Mattie would give them a tutorial on how to interact appropriately with a cat. It was adorable.
Quote of the day: We find our humanity—our will to live and our ability to love—in our connections to one another. ~ Sheryl Sandberg
I truly believe that tonight's quote is spot on, and it is a philosophy on how I live my life. My instinct is always to help people, to provide the space and time so others feel heard, and no matter who you are, I believe it is important to treat people with kindness and understanding. Of course I am human, and if I am threatened or mistreated in some way by a person, I will become guarded and my natural instinct will take over to protect myself.
I had a full morning of my usual routine, Foundation work, dealing with repair people, and phone calls. However, in the early afternoon, I took my mom to Starbucks. Our local store is like our Cheers. We know all the people who work behind the counter and they all say hello and try to be as helpful as possible. Today, they even gave me a friends discount. That may not have meant a lot to the person behind the counter, but to me, I thought that was the nicest gesture. Someone looking out for me and letting me know that my presence in their store is appreciated. Kindness goes a long long way with me.
Two nights ago, I attended my fourth therapy session. I have to admit that my previous week's session set me off because the therapist put her lens on what I was telling her and downplayed what I was saying and feeling. What it showed me was she wasn't getting me, she wasn't seeing my point of view, and instead inserted her lens into my thoughts and feelings. Needless to say, I was hesitant to go back to this therapist and thought.... what's the point!? I have my hands full already, I don't need another stressful encounter in my life. In any case, on my way to therapy this week, I was chatting back and forth through my phone with my friend Mary Ann. She and I met each other in graduate school and we formed a bond over ethics class. We have been friends ever since. But it was something that Mary Ann said to me in a message that empowered me to speak up and be upfront with this therapist.
Confronting someone and sharing my thoughts and feelings, enables me to see how they will respond. Will my concerns be taken seriously or will the person become defensive? The therapist heard how her behavior and comments affected me and she apologized. In fact, my honesty enabled us to work through the differences we had the week before and I found at the end of the session we both had a clearer and more effective communication style. Bottom line, honesty and communication are always the way to go to develop a meaningful and trusting relationship of any kind. Would I have confronted the therapist without Mary Ann's message? Most likely yes, but my friend's message empowered me to realize that if the therapist couldn't handle my confrontation, then what I would conclude is she isn't the right fit for me.
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