Disappointment: A Fact of Life (PB)

When somebody works very hard for something, they expect to get good results.  People should receive the result that reflects how much effort they put forth. So what happens when someone works extremely hard for something, and gets terrible results?  Doesn't that seem unfair? 

This weekend I was at a Marching Band Competition.  We all, well most of us, had worked so hard this past week at practices to try to pull ahead of the competition.  We felt so confident in our performance on Saturday that noting could take the pride of putting on a good show away from us… until the awards ceremony.  Everyone was waiting anxiously to hear our placement.  Holding hands, saying little prayers in our heads… those tactics didn’t work.  We ended up taking third place.  The disappointment that overwhelms you when you put forth so much effort only to get shot down is unbearable. 

How does someone go about recovering from such a let down?  First, we should consider possible mistakes that we might have made.  Learning from your mistakes is key to making improvements the next time you participate in the same activity.  Disappointment is something that everyone will have to deal with, and it is something that we should use to grow in our lives.  Second, make the improvements that need to be made after analyzing the mistakes made previously.  Third, pick your head up and move on. 

Life is too short to live with your disappointments forever.  In reality, life won’t always hand you first place on a silver platter, which means that you need to always have an optimistic attitude.  So, keep on learning from your mistakes and keep your head up.  Even through discouraging times, stay positive and you will, most likely, get what you deserve. 

So, I guess what I am trying to say through all of this is to think positively.  Have an optimistic outlook on life.  And even though the band did not win their competition, there’s always next week. 

“Keep moving forward.”  ~Walt Disney

The Purrr-fect Companion (SSR)

Disclaimer: This blog is about cats, so it is going to be ridiculously cheesy, but I don't care.

Pets are something that people have had since the beginning of time.  From Siamese cats in Egypt to the heart-warming story of Lassie, pets have a way of finding a spot in our hearts.  It seems, though, that whenever people think of the most loving, compassionate pet, they usually think of the phrase, "Dogs are man's best friend."  What about Grumpy Cat?  When walking through a pet specialty store, I noticed that there are a lot more isles for dogs, and other animals for that matter, than cats.  As an owner of a wonder cat, I took personal offense to that.  Why don't cats get as much recognition for all of the positive things that they do to help people.

When trying to figure out what I was going to write my blog about this week, I found an article that talked about ways cats improve people's health.  I found this topic to be very interesting, so I figured, hey, why not read it?  While reading the article, I began to gain a whole new perspective of service-animals.  I understood that blind people have dogs that will walk with them to help them successfully complete everyday tasks, but I bet you did not know all of the benefits that a cat's purr has on people's health issues.

^^^Cats are the coolest^^^

I was amazed.  As an avid cat-lover, I had no idea that my cat could help me deal with illnesses that I might one day suffer from.  I found it amazing that the purr of a cat could help heal the bones of the humans it interacts with everyday.  The vibrations that are made when a cat purrs are proven to be therapeutic for people.  

Another way that cats have helped people is by being a loving companion.  A really nice cat is not hard to find.  The love that a cat has to offer is astounding and creates a beautiful relationship between the cat and its owner.  Many cats are owned by elderly people.  After researching pros of owning a cat, I learned that cats can help improve the mood of older people.  As people get older, they tend to not be able to get around and out and about as easily and become lonely and depressed.  If they are able to keep a cat around as a companion and someone to have around when they are lonely, that is fantastic.  Cats are, fairly, low maintenance, which means that they are pretty easy to handle at any age.  Dogs are, usually, very high maintenance, and older people cannot handle that at their age.  

This was probably the cheesiest blog that anyone has ever written, but I really love cats, and I think that they are fantastic companions, no matter how old the owner is.  I thought it was wonderful that a great companion can be more than that.   They create a way for people with poor health to possibly find relief by spending time with a loving animal.  People are never alone when they have a pet, and a cat offers many great qualities.  A cat finds a way to love us, even when we don't feel like we deserve love, or are loved.  Pets are always there for us, no matter what we are going through, and that is a reassuring feeling.  So thank pets, but mostly cats, for always being there and being the purrr-fect companion whenever we need one.