Advice

Someone gave my son advice last night.

This is what they said,

"Don't give 'things' a name. Then when you lose them, it won't be so hard."

I know the advice giver. I knew what was going through his mind. He was recalling a memory of Butch.

Butch was the cutest little calf in the whole Pacific Northwest! That's what the advice giver said. The purpose of the calf purchase from the sale barn, was for beef to fill our freezer the following winter.

That was the expectation. There was nothing in the expectations about having a pet then exchanging the relationship for a beef bbq.

However, the advice giver fell in love with the kind of eyes only a cow can have and gave the calf a name...Butch. I could see that the calf had now become an outdoor pet. Not wise I thought, but knew the advice giver understood the expectations before the trip to the sale barn.

Sometimes expectations and reality collide.

The calf grew into a cow quickly. The advice giver and his sons spent every possible moment with Butch, feeding him, having conversations with him, ~ hopefully one sided :) ~ and general loving on him.

One day, the man in a truck showed up. He had a job to do. He was there to complete the circle but the time came all too soon for the advice giver who had named, petted, fed and chatted with the 'thing'. The advice giver stood there eye to eye with Butch as the man from the truck brought out his shot gun. All three prepared in their own way.

I do understand, but then I see a different side to the advice.

Whether the 'thing' is real or inanimate, if you don't care about it while you have it or them, will you really be living? Sure, everything and everyone will all pass away someday. But will you take the opportunity to love and care or will you stand apart emotionally and miss out.

The advice giver - I believe if he could redo - would again care for and love Butch

To the son given the advice ....

Too Many Pictures, Laugh Too Much

author unknown

As we grow up,
we learn
that even the one person
that wasn't
supposed to ever
let you down
probably will.

You will have your heart broken
probably more than once
and it's harder every time.

You'll break hearts too,
so remember
how it felt
when yours was broken.

You'll fight with your best friend.

You'll blame
a new love
for things
an old one did.

You'll cry
because
time is passing too fast,
and you'll eventually
lose someone you love.

So take too many pictures,
laugh too much,
and love
like you've never been hurt
because
every sixty seconds
you spend
upset
is a minute of happiness
you'll never get back.