This is a picture of a friend of mine . . . hee hee. It is the picture of a certain cat, who is known for being grumpy. I took this at Christmas.
What is the appeal of this cat? The humor is one appeal of course. But what is it about the humor that speaks to us? I would be interested in hearing f
rom people on this.
I have a couple of ideas. I think it helps people to feel free to feel what they feel. Here is a cat who is a grump and is respected for it.
I also think that this cat has great boundaries, and there are many people out there who simply don’t know how to say “NO.” The memes say, behind the scenes “hey, it’s alright to say ‘no.’ its a good thing.”
I’ve been learning about several subcultures that people I know have grown up in where they are taught that you have to be happy all the time. Some small church communities may give that impression, but Jesus said “Blessed are those who mourn.” He understood we aren’t happy all the time. And the secular message that we should always be “OK” is created by those who are trying to sell products. Other psychologists and support group organizations know that this isn’t so. It takes time to heal, and being angry at oneself or feeling guilty for having feelings is to be angry at oneself for being human. If we start with self acceptance, we begin to find peace.
This is not to say that we should dwell on as many horrible things as possible, gathering them in to make ourselves anxious and glum, but when we are hurting, it is OK to hurt. It is who we are. It is where we are at. And we are being truly human with all the beauty of the sorrows as well as joys. We humans feel things. That is good.
It seems to me that this particular cat represents this in all of us. It is OK to be grumpy. It is OK to be where you are in your life. It is OK to feel what you feel.
May God bless your day.
Face The Day OK 