A man came into the animal hospital last week with his cat, Blackie. When I asked what was wrong with Blackie, he said, "Oh she just lies around and cries like every other woman." I could feel the smile melt off my face, but I tried to stay pleasant. When I entered the room with the vet tech to take Blackie's temperature, the man gave me a look and said, "Well, what do we have here? A new lady doctor?" There was something about the way he said "lady doctor" that really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not usually like that. I think I have pretty thick skin. In this situation, I'm not a doctor AT ALL so I really don't know why I was so offended, but I was.
So, when Mr. Really-Gets-On-My-Nerves showed up with Blackie again today, I thought of my renewed interest in this project and I kicked up the kindness a few notches. This led to a lengthy conversation about his life. He was married to a "cat lady" who fed and cared for over 20 strays at the warehouse they owned. Blackie and three others came home with them and became their personal pets. His wife died last year. He doesn't have any family in the area... just the cats who he refers to as "his girls." Every Saturday night, he goes out for a steak dinner by himself, and he brings a piece home for the girls. And, if that doesn't break your heart, what will?
I'm really glad I gave him a second chance to make a first impression.
Kind Regards,
Your Neighbor
This is a fabulous story. It really makes you wonder how many times we have stopped with our first impressions and never knew the whole truth.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great story! Talking to strangers in general is kind and often hard to do without a second thought. A lot of times we don't realize that everyone has a story to tell.
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