Indulgence

Of pleasant mornings, kittens and children...

Texted to me by my Dad
There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children -- one is roots, the other wings.

It was a glorious morning the other day. I was on my way back to work after having visited a friend during his lunch break (in the morning, I know, call center people really have it bad) when I saw a kitten. It looked like it had just been born about a couple of weeks. It was tiny. I could pick it up with one hand and I'm not that large a person. And it was struggling over a tiny little hill. And it just kept crying. The poor thing, its mother was not in sight.

I just stopped to stare it for a long while wondering what I could do. I just felt so bad. A woman walked by and saw the kitten then saw me and she looked at the kitten again. She shook her head as she passed me by. I wonder what she was thinking...

I stood there for a long while wondering what I could do. There was no place to buy food nearby and I couldn't bring it back to the office. I wouldn't be able to take care of it and it would probably not be allowed, anyway. I just felt so bad and helpless. The poor thing looked so alone.

I don't know if it was the promise of a new day the morning brought or having had a nice conversation with my friend, but I just felt so bad after seeing such a sight.

Looking back at that morning, I find it strange that I cannot feel the same way about children. I really have no patience for the tiny little brats. I had always said if I were God, when women gave birth their children will come out 12-years old and ready for High School. It's really just for laughs; who would want to rob a person of their childhood. It's just that I can't deal with them -- children.

I find, though, the comparison to be unsettling. I can feel so much for the kitten but can't find the same amount of compassion for a child.

But then again, I'm thinking about the situation. On a regular day, bothered by the day-to-day and stressed out with work, I always don't have patience for stupidity or inanities... But when I'm having a good day and I've slept enough and I'm full and in good spirits, I usually am more open to stimuli and take things lightly. Had I been bothered by the day-to-day rather than enjoying the morning and the conversation, would I have even noticed the kitten?

If it were a beautiful day and I was in good spirits, would I give the child the time to run and play and enjoy his/her youth?

I don't know. But I know there is something there; the state of your day is so very much connected to your state of mind. And the state of your day all depends on how lightly or seriously you take things.

Give your worries wings and let them fly and perch somewhere else. And take morning walks; there's a lot to think about when the world is waking up and the promise of a new day is still full with hope and beauty.

posted by wanggo @ 12:31 PM