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You are here: Home / Archives for observations

Life Lessons from a Sick/Healthy Cat

April 29, 2020 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Older picture of Tiger watching a lion on tv

Even though we live with three cats and a dog, my wife and I don’t refer not to ourselves as “pet owners,” opting rather for the moniker, “pet guardians.”

You are now thinking either:

  • “Meh, so what?” yet, continuing to read
  • “Oh, you’re one of those type of people,” possibly even falsely labeling me as “wacko animal rights activist.”
  • “Right on! I so agree with you. I wish more people felt that way.”
  • “This is nonsense,” deciding you have something better to do with your time and returning to your quarantined life.

I judge not your response.

What’s the difference between “pet owner” and “pet guardian”?

Well, um, honestly, probably not much beyond semantics. Countless millions of people share living quarters with animals while considering themselves good “pet owners.” Assuming they love, nurture, and take care of their furry, feathered, or reptilian family members; they’re correct.

Speaking on behalf of those of us who opt for the term “guardian,” the difference is that I don’t believe I “own” the animals. I mean, sure, legally, I’m responsible and all; but believe each soul exists to pursue its own path. As guardian to Tiger, Oreo, Hobbs, and Willie, my responsibility is to help clear their paths to allow them the fullest, happiest, healthiest four-legged existence possible. (Go ahead, cue the “woo-woo,” artsy-fartsy, new age, hippie music; I’m used to it.)

The manner in which this choice of terms manifests itself with us is that there are cat and dog toys strewn everywhere. A giant dog bed occupies our living room floor with countless lesser versions scattered elsewhere. For the feline contingent, there are perches, walkways, all manner of hanging things, and even a “catio” attached to our back door (so they can go outside but not run the risk of being hit by cars).

As stated, we are animal guardians.

Starting late last year, Tiger, our eldest, has been suffering from all manner of severe health conditions with symptoms pin-balling from lethargy to vomiting to constipation; dropping from a robust 12 pounds down to seven. In February, we were discussing end-of-life options, actually assuming a date. Whether “owner” or “guardian,” or neither, I’m sure you empathize with this gut-wrenching, emotional, devastating period.

Yet, in what I can only describe as a miracle, our 15-year-old Tiger rebounded.

As if treated by magic wand, he woke up and started eating, and eating, and eating, and eating. His fur regained its smooth texture; his eyes cleared; he even reverted to kitten-like behaviors. He filled out so much, we referred to him as “Buddha belly.”  Give praise! Sing hallelujah! Life is good.

Last weekend, noticing some fur was missing, we returned to the vet.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Intentions, Newspaper Column, Power of Attitude Tagged With: acceptance, cancer, despair, health, Hope, hope and faith, hopeful, observations, pets, veteranarians

Lessons in Patience from the World’s Slowest Pedestrian

August 20, 2015 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

I’m impatient, tense, and in a frenzy as I pull up to the intersection to turn right.

angry driver

The light’s green but because a meandering male pedestrian is wandering unhurriedly across the crosswalk on the street to which I’m trying to turn, I’m stalled.

He’s quite the eyeful; forty and short – maybe five and a half feet tall, with a hobbit-type potbelly.

His brown hair is a bird nest of a toupee with the crown not even pretending to match the temples. He’s adorned in a garish, undersized, well-worn, striped, algae-greenish, polyester sports coat that doesn’t fit him — or the current decade. His trousers are twisted so his fly doesn’t line up with his belt buckle. Neither is aligned with the center of his body, each wrenched askew in a different direction. The waist of his pants is pulled up so high, resulting in the pant-legs being too short, exposing his calves well above his socks. (As a kid, we called those, “high waters” because if there were a flood, you wouldn’t get your pants wet.) Pants, grey; shoes, maroon; socks yellow — he obviously did not have a wife to help him choose his clothes.

Wrapped within his short arms that the sport coat’s sleeves do not cover, pressed to his chest, are too many files in too few folders. While navigating the crosswalk, he’s trying to prevent the papers from sliding out of the packets on to the ground, causing his hands to be constantly in motion, sliding hither and yon across them. Further complicating this maneuver, is his Styrofoam cup full of coffee held at a dangerously perilous angle. With each step, the brown liquid sloshes over the brim of the cup, splashing him and his documents. It’s clearly hot because when it makes contact, he winces.

To top it off, he’s slower than a sloth.

Granted, if I wasn’t so stressed, it might not have bothered me. After all, it was almost like observing the offspring of a gnome and a businessman, and how often does one see that?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Happiness, humor, Inspiration, Newspaper Column, Power of Attitude, Relationships Tagged With: attitude, happiness, humor, observations, patience, relationships

Change Your Observations to Change Your Life

November 7, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Change your observations; change your attitude.

Change your attitude; change your life.

Change what you observe, change your lifeAttitude is the combination of beliefs and feelings that effect how you view the world and how you react to it.

Beliefs are closely held values accepted as facts and validated by repeat observations.

Therefore, if you change what you look for (observations), you will change your beliefs. If you change your beliefs, you will change your attitude. If you change your attitude, you will change how you react to the world (and therefore how it reacts to you).

If you change how you react to the world, you will change your life.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Inspiration, Member Benefits, Motivation, Motivational Monday Tagged With: attitude, attitude change, feelings, observations, subscribers

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