Day 283: Embracing change

There’s a whole lot of change goin’ on here, dear readers.

I’m very aware of the difference between:

1. Changes I am choosing, and
2. Changes I’m not choosing.

That always seems to help: Recognizing the difference between those two types of changes.

Do I deal differently with those two types of changes?

Good question!

Let’s find out, shall we?

Let’s look at two particular changes on the horizon — one which I’m choosing and one which I’m not.

A Change I’m Not Choosing:  

A change in the seasons.  Specifically, the cold is coming, here in New England.

I’m not fortune telling (nor using any other cognitive distortion) when I make that last statement.  I think it’s safe to say that the chances of it NOT getting cold, soon, where I live, are approximately the same as:

 *

an idiom that’s so inappropriate, I couldn’t resist using it.

Here’s another Google Image, for that idiom, that I can’t resist:

  **

So, we can all agree, I hope — as distracted as we may be by those photos —  that the cold will be arriving, soon, where I live.

How will I deal with that change?

1. Complain about it.
2. Especially complain about it with people who are empathic and who “get me” (that is, other people who don’t like the cold and who can’t escape it, for now).
3. Focus on activities I like doing, which I’m more likely to do when it’s cold outside (for example, watching movies).
4. Buy a fabulous piece of cold-weather gear, and wear it (for example, my one major purchase, when I was in Scotland in August):

It’s the hat (in case that photo was confusing, in any way).

.

Okay!  I’m ready to move on to a change that would include choice.

A change I would be choosing:

Getting another cat.

We already have one cat, named Oscar:

That’s Oscar,above, sleeping on last year’s winter hat.  Here’s a close-up:

Why am I considering this change?  Lots of reasons, including:

1. Oscar seems to be hungering for more companionship, despite having humans around most of the time.
2. He likes to play, but not with toys.
3. He can be an ankle-biter (only with the person who has recently started taking anti-coagulant medication).
4. Our vet thinks it would be a good change, for everybody.

So we’re considering another shelter cat, including

Baxter,

Buster, and

Barney.

And those are just the “B’s.”

Which illustrates something I’ve blogged about before: I can have trouble making decisions, especially those that have an impact on others.

So how will I deal with this change?

1. Talk (and write) about it.
2. Especially talk about it with people who “get” it, or who might have helpful information and advice.
3. Make a pros and cons list, to the best of my ability.
4. Make sure (because other creatures are involved) there is a do-no-harm “out,” if the change does not work.
5. Take a breath.
6. Just do it!

Okay! That concludes our blog post for today.

Thanks to Oscar, Petfinder, Whiskers of Hope,  Broken Tail Rescue,  Gifford Cat Shelter, creatures needing shelter everywhere, and to you, too, for reading today.

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* Image ascribed, somehow, to sodahead.com.

**   Image ascribed to abaenglish.com.