“They’re as different as night and day.” A cliche
Cliche-ish, I know, but Gator and Bug are as different as night and day.
Gator is the cat enjoying the limelight. He likes to meet you at the door, try to escape out the door, play at the door, entertain you, then gobble down his food.
Bug, on the contrary, wonders why she’s being bothered. Bug likes to hide under the bed, period.
And that brings to mind a couple of people I’ve raised.
Our son and his girlfriend have cats. Our daughter and her fiancé have dogs.
And that’s just the beginning of their differences.
I think it’s fair to say if I had not delivered them both, I’d never guess they were from the same gene pool. In fact, friends from their high school years were shocked to find out they are brother and sister. They socialized in different circles. Even our son has been caught off guard by their differences.
“I don’t know how you did it. How’d you raise her? She’s like a hot air balloon, held by one string. And I think it’s about to go.”
I laughed.
He was right, his sister is free-spirited.
On the other hand, he is tethered to the ground and weighing out every decision.
“I’ve absolutely loved raising both of you. But I wouldn’t have wanted two of either one of you,” I said.
And I meant it.
He could be enlightening, she could be entertaining. He could be exhausting, she could be exasperating. He was intense. She was flighty. He was serious. She was silly.
The list of their differences was pages long. Still is.
Our son taught me to stop and think. Our daughter taught me to lighten up.
From him I learned little strawberries are just as tasty as the big ones I tried to convince him to pick from the strawberry field.
From her, I learned people can live productive lives without a watch or a calendar.
From Gator and Bug, from my kids and their friends, from our daughter’s dogs … I’ve found our common ground.
They’re different, just like me.
WRite wHere I’m supposed to be – Dear God, I don’t want be so arrogant as to think others should be like me, nor so insecure that I need them to be.
I so relate to this post, even down to the dog and cat issue. Both of my girls are so alike, yet so different. I love being at an age where I can appreciate them for who they are and even like them when they act just like me. Thank you.
Amen! Sometimes they remind me way too much of myself!
Well from the mother of these two furballs, let me just say that they teach me something new everyday.
Bug is forgiving, Gator is relentless. But I love them both….
They were very excited to hear that they made the blog. Now for Savannah\’s!
And I was so happy to write about them. That\’s such a beautiful photo of your kitties and your house! Yep, lessons, lessons and more lessons. When do I get to teach instead of learn???
I have Savannah\’s pic ready – just not the idea yet.
Thanks for sharing the pic – I love them cats!
Kim…..You are speaking also of my daughter and son! How can two children born of the same parents be so diverse?
It\’s a mystery. I hope God clears up a lot of things when I get there. : )
Loved our visit yesterday. Thanks so much for being a part of my blog!