My Mother The Animal

Naturally that’s a compliment! There’s more to it though. First, of course we are all animals. The principle difference between us and the others is our ability to think and remember what we think. We can dwell on issues. Now, my mother has been a very feisty person for all of her 98 years, and I don’t expect that to change. Sure, she’s slowed down a lot this past decade or two, but the fire is always there.

We’ve had a contentious relationship since I was in my teens. In fact I joined the Air Force at 17 to get away. We get along well now though, ever since I ceased needing to have her ‘understand’ me. I found that if I simply accepted her, that imparted to me the ‘understanding’ I so craved. Interesting aspect of the reflective nature of perception.

Yet, even now we will have an occasional emotional run in. The interesting animal aspect to this is that she doesn’t remember very well those events for more than a few hours. The next day is a new day. In this way she is more like other animals than she’s ever been. The same is happening to me to a lesser degree already. Not being as able to remember now as well as in my youth means less for me to dwell on, less to worry about, less to separate me from the rest of life on earth. With fewer memory and energy resources now, I’m more focused on using what I have left for recalling what I truly want to remember.

—Carl