FUGGLY & THE WONDER KITTY

When he was little, Fuggly was a butterball of lazy energy.  Why stand when you can sit?  Why run when you can mosey?  Fuggly just figured out that slow was better and you couldn't entice him to go any faster.

Wonder Kitty was a full-grown momma cat when Fuggly was introduced into the family.  She outweighed Fuggly by about two pounds and proceeded to teach Fuggly who the Alpha Animal was in our household.  She would lay in wait, hidden just around the corner from the refrigerator, hoping Fuggly would lumber by.  When he did, she would reach out her dainty little paw and smack him right across the nose.  Pointy parts extended for maximum damage.

Fuggly learned to run because of Wonder Kitty.  He would see her and freeze, then turn and dash away, putting as much distance as possible between her razor-tipped weapons and his sensitive nose.  Pretty soon,  Wonder Kitty didn't even have to wait for him.  She would catch Fuggly dozing in the warm sunshine, saunter by, and stop and stare.  In his sleep, Fuggly could feel her watching him and he would slowly wake up.  When he realized he was within striking distance, he would yelp and run as fast as he could to hide between his human momma's legs.

Well.  Fuggly grew up.  And grew some more.  And then grew even more.  Fuggly, it turns out, wasn't a "terrier mix" as promised by the shelter.  Nope.  Fuggly was a mutt alright, but he had the brains of a Dalmatian, the legs of a horse, and was the size of a Great Dane.  He outweighed Wonder Kitty by about 100 pounds.

But all Wonder Kitty had to do was drift past Fuggly, tail waving in the air, and stop.  She would slowly turn her head and make eye contact with Fuggly and he would go into shock.  He would whimper and run and hide.  As much as a dog the size of a miniature horse can hide.

This got me to thinking.

What sort of things have we carried forward into our adult lives that still evoke a puppy fear reaction?  What sort of Wonder Kitty issues have we carried forward that keep us from realizing our strengths and our abilities?  What old beliefs hold us back from living the life we were meant to live?

Fuggly never got over his fear of Wonder Kitty.  But then, Fuggly was a dog with the brains of a Dalmatian, the legs of a horse, and the size of a Great Dane.