Judge, Jury and Executioner!
DRAMA! DRAMA! DRAMA!
So yesterday morning (for you west northern hemisphere people it's today) I get a panicky phone call......here's how it went:
Suz: (Real name witheld in case of recrimination and other unpleasantries)
"The cat is missing, I can't find him anywhere! Did you leave the door open?"
Me: "No, I didn't leave the door open!"
Suz: "Are you sure you didn't come back in the house to do something and left the door open".
Me: "No, I didn't come back into the house after I closed the door and left".
Suz: "Well he's gone!" (Phone put down...you can never tell if it's slammed down or put down gently).
Another desperate phone call:
Suz: "I have looked everywhere I cannot find him. I am going to drive around the neighbourhood to see if I can find him".
Me: "I know he's in the house.....he may be trapped behind a cupboard or squeezed himself into a space he cannot get out of".
Suz: "I've tapped his bowl and shook the food container, he is not responding. He always comes when he smells food".
Me: "If he is trapped somewhere he won't be able to come. Check everywhere again!"
Suz: "But I've looked everywhere...I'll look again".
Hangs up.....
Sheepish text message received, no telephone call? : Johnnie (Not real name of cat, witheld as per previous reason...recriminations etc) has been (who else was looking you are the only one in the house!) found wandering in my bedroom. He is sick and doesn't want food which is most unlike him. Panic over now. S (Really who finishes a text with a letter?)
At this point I was feeling like a piece of S....... so my reply:
My text: Thank GOD! I was leaving work to find him for you because I knew he was at home. I have been coming to your house all year and I would never have been careless to let him out! I knew there was something wrong and all was not well. Listen next time I tell you because I feel awful! (Yes my Zen moment had left me this morning!)
It was only yesterday how I was telling everyone in my WA family how Zen I was and that tomorrow I will probably be as nutty as a fruitcake! (I know, be careful of what you wish for.....)
Now that I've got that out of the way...here is my real point. Do not judge someone, EVER, because even if someone you know does something in a certain way does not mean they will always do it. Humans are not that consistent...there is no 'always' about us...we are sometimes or mostly.
The worst thing about this episode is that if the cat had not been found...I would have been forever condemned. Oh yes it was Michael, he let the cat out and we never found the cat again...probably killed...I would have to live with that.
Because none of us is perfect, the fact of the matter is we think we are. The story could easily have been that the cat died behind a piece of furniture, found a way out of the house that we don't know about, 'S' may have been negligent herself (Although we think oh no! I would never have done that, I am so careful, I know exactly what I do and where I put things!......REALLY?! Why do I have to find your glasses, keys etc if you are so perfect!
If you've read this far...you deserve a pat on the back...I don't normally rant for this long...oh what the heck....maybe one of you can relate to this?
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Never know what's around thew next corner Michael, usually good stuff. all well that ends well, a good old fashioned rant is good.
Thanks Alexander.....I know when you drop in with your smile all is well with the world....
I think someone up above knows our intentions even if something goes wrong, and does not judge......
You have hit the nail on the head! No one wants to be guilty of making a mistake, especially a mistake with dire consequences. Oh--accepting our faults and mistakes without losing our cool is a sign of maturity. I'm still trying to grow up...
Yes, it is, especially if you feel things deeply. I'm an injustice warrior. I hate it when people are treated unfairly, but I've learned (am learning) to moderate my emotions and let good sense take over. Actually, I stil lose it once in a while...
This is why judges have to be impartial and seperate the emotions from the facts...but we are not judges.
Barbara, I've been fighting 'maturity' tooth and nail for over 60 years.
I just noticed something, your screen name is pretty darn close to my real name. I'm P.J. LaBarbera
How cool. Barbara is my name and there are several Barbara's on here. When I first started dating my now husband of 43 years, he would always spell my name with the e--Barbera. Little stories of interest really do connect people!
Yep, and brevity is the soul of wit. 8^)
I've dated several Barbara's in my younger days, and I had to tell them that marriage wasn't going to happen. Can you imagine going through life as Barbara LaBarbera?
Barbara, my wife thinks that going through life as Maryann LaBarbera is definitely a burden.
Here's how she's been able to deal with it.
Nobody is perfect. We're not meant to be. Just imagine what a boring world it would be if no-one ever made a mistake. And, Michael, you wouldn't have an entertaining subject to write about. Thank goodness that the cat was found. I do hope he recovered from his illness!
I've been married to the same woman for over 40 years. I've been a big fan of Brian Tracy and one of his teachings is that we are fully responsible for everything. I've taken that philosophy to heart and my wife fully agrees. Everything is my fault.
I got bawled out last weekend for something I said the night we first met, and we were both drunk. Where do they get this stuff from?
I'll tell you the story one day of when one of our African Grey parrots took off flying in Manhattan. The wings were clipped who knew it could fly like that. She called me names that made this sailor blush.
....and sailors know pretty much every swear word there is. I'm impressed. You should do a blog on the parrot.
I bet your wife said: "YOU OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T CLIP THE WINGS PROPERLY!? Or words to that effect with a few expletives for good measure...LOL!? Don't worry...I'm often in the dog house!
We did. She flew away on a Friday night, I searched for her every night and every morning all weekend, and I got her back on Monday night. Do you know what the odds are of finding a lost parrot in NYC's Central Park?
Michael, I'll take that bet because she said nothing like that. In fact, there was not one word out of her mouth that wasn't a four-letter, obscene, expletive that didn't question my mental capacity or my genealogy.
Micahel, you asked for it, "You should do a blog on the parrot"... you got it. The Saga of Groucho the Flyaway Parrot
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The presumption of innocence must be first, here's the other way around!
I'm glad you escaped well! Nice blog!
Thanks Dorina, I agree, we like to say innocent before proven guilty but we rarely live by that creed....