I took this picture of a "Red Admiral butterfly" (Vanessa atalanta) on a privit hedge the first day I was getting used to my Nikon. You won't believe how absolutely "furry" Red Admirals are until you look at this wallpaper full size. But that's just one of the things I learned that day. I also learned:
- Butterflies are fast, flittery little things.
- They will not obey. Commands like, "Stop, be still, no wait, don't fly away" all go right in one ear, and out the other.
- The best way to get from point A to point B is sometimes a curving, swirling, loop de loop kinda line rather than a straight one.
- Even sitting still, they're always exercising their wings.
I was watching this Red Admiral exercise it's wings while I was waiting to catch the picture. I'd never noticed before just how very much they're always exercising. That's when it hit me that if we'd only exercise our power of kindness half as much as a butterfly exercises his wings, we'd be able to fly too.
I didn't want to make a wallpaper specifically about rudeness, so I made this one instead. I figure if exercising kindness can make us fly, it's our regular exercise of rudeness that keeps us stuck to the ground. A short rant has been brewing. I might as well pour you a cup and see what you think.
Pops had enough color and spirit to be a red admiral himself. Back when Pops was still alive, he'd talk to the home health care workers who came in to bathe his wife. He had alzheimers, but that only served to make him more entertaining. One day as the nurse worked around Mama, Pops tried to talk with her. Nothing bad, just polite conversation. "Hi there..... my name is Cleburn, what's yours?..... Hello?..... Nice day we're havin' don'tcha think?.... Can you hear me???" But she refused to acknowledge he was there with so much as a look, let alone answer him.
I wanted to wring her damn neck. But he wasn't my grandfather, so I told his granddaughter/caretaker what had happened. Luckily Deanna was too kind to wring the nurse's neck. That very same day, she politely fired the hateful itch for her amazing rudeness. So remember, rudeness has power too..... power to get you fired.
It's none of my business, but that's never hushed me before, so a word of advice to anyone considering working with the elderly..... if you don't like older people, if you don't enjoy talking to them, being sweet to them and making them smile - DO SOMETHING ELSE for a living. There are all kinds of ways to make money and if you don't enjoy being kind to the elderly, you're a lot better off doing anything else at all. They're a lot better off with you doing anything else at all too.
There. That feels better. I don't have a lot of pet peeves. It's good to get that one out and be done with it.
[photo and rant © lollie dot com]
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