Cat I say, then cat I shall display (Don't worry, I am not about to go Dr. Seuss on you unfortunately)...
There you see a very cool cat. No nerves in this one, his name is Zinger by the way. Ryan was late to the dinner table so Zinger kept his seat warm. Well that was Zinger's story anyhow. Truth be told he was hoping to get at the Turkey under the foil to his right. Poor Zinger, he was denied that which he wanted. At least let us give Zinger credit for knowing what he wanted.
To be denied is one thing, to be in denial, quite another. Denial is a dangerous response for us humans. I really have no idea how it affects a cat.
Perhaps an easy correlation is that of an alcoholic or drug user who does not believe they have a problem; to them their abuse has no ill affects on their lives, or those around them, and they can quit at any moment. For whatever reason they do not accept the reality of their problem, they deny there is a problem.
To say that all of us who are obese, or over-weight, use whatever word you desire; to say all are in a state of denial is probably wrong. Certainly there must be a few who know they are obese, and are truly OK with it, or, they sincerely do not care. But, minus those few, is it safe to say that a majority of us who are obese either are or have been in denial at some point?
I am not a doctor of any sort, I have played one; well lets not go there... my words are my opinion based on the myriad of good sense and nonsense that has accumulated in my mind. So take that info in as an introduction to think...
Are you now, or have you have you ever been in denial about your weight?
Myself, oh my goodness gracious most certainly you betcha dog gone right yes siree bob - YES I have. For you net-lingo addicts that would be: OMGGMCYBDGRYSB
Have, HAVE; is the word of importance there. For today I do not consider myself to be in denial. But not too long ago, and for a long long time; I most definitely was.
Being obese was not causing me to be unhappy, I was pleasantly plump and happy, right? I denied that I would be happier if I could do the things I could not do; e.g. sit on the floor & play games with the kids, go on a canoe ride, play full or even half-court basketball.
Being obese did not impact my marriage in anyway, all was good, right? I was in denial that I could perform better sexually, or that we might enjoy it more, if I those blobs of fat weren't there with us.
Being obese did not mean I wasn't active, I moved more than enough, right? I denied that I needed to exercise beyond what I got walking from my chair to my car, from my car to work, from work to my car, from my car to my chair.
Being obese was not putting me at greater risk for health factors or a decreased lifespan, I was healthy fat or no fat, right? I denied that I really needed the high blood pressure pills when prescribed them, I figured it was just the doctor covering his butt against statistics. I denied that what I ate could lead to heart attack, stroke, or death. I was after all, me. Things like that don't happen to me; they happen to you.
For each of those, and the dozens I didn't list, I knowingly felt guilt yet I refused to feel any self-remorse thus choosing the easy path to eliminating the risk for my foolish decisions; I ignored my own guilt. Foolish, denial is just plain irresponsible & embarrassingly foolish. Acting a fool is what is truly dangerous.
So let me ask you again, are you acting a fool?
"We have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it." -- Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; mmm chocolate)
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!
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