Cone Heads

One of my friends adopted a dog a couple years ago from a rescue society. A little Shih Tzu, like my Katiebug, and her name is Lula. Poor Lula was scared and on guard. She'd be mistreated. And neglected. Because of that, she had some kind of surgery and needed to wear one of those embarrassing cones around her puppy head.

Those cones are funny because you can only see straight in front of you. There's no way to see what's on either side of you. So there's no way to get distracted by others. No comfortable way to look back or down so you're just forced to look straight ahead. Seems like it might be good if your mind and heart could have a cone thing.

I spend way too much time thinking about negative people and negative experiences. I spend too much time thinking about other people and not enough thinking about myself and all the positive things in my life and in my future. I think about what other people think of me and how they view me and how they judge me. That's unhealthy. I suppose everyone does it, though. And I think about bad memories too much. Bad memories should lose their power quicker. If that makes sense.

There's a Counting Crows song that says, "The price of a memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings." And I have too many expensive memories.

So the solution to all my problems is one of those cone things for my head and heart. Then I can focus only on what's ahead of me.

Hmm...but...sometimes it's good to be able to look back. And pay close attention to those around you. Even when you're thinking about what others think of you or how they view you, sometimes that can be a good thing. You just have to surround yourself with the right people so you're not listening to the wrong ones.

Back to Lula. She seemed to be frustrated with her cone thing. Understandably. But here's a pup who's already afraid and defensive, and now she can't keep an eye on what's happening around her which just makes her more confused. She has no direction or guidance. And starts to think the worst of what she can't see and doesn't know.

She ended up barking at my little Katiebug and scaring her out of her wits. She tried to bite Katie through that cone she was so hostile! And my friend had to take Lula home. The cone thing made all her fears and suspicions more powerful and more negative. She had to be all alone and away from everyone until it was taken off. I wouldn't want that to happen to me. Even with all my issues, I play well with others.