What animal do you want to be?

In today’s writing group, one of the suggested prompts was, “Name an animal that you most identify with.” which is the one I chose. I debated  whether it should be a squirrel or bird or … well, you’ll see that I decided to be a cat.

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If there is one animal that I could identify with it would be a kitten or cat. The thought of having 9 lives would be the best part of being one. Especially if I could switch between them at will.

The thing that I can relate to most is curiosity. I am what I consider a professional curiositist. When I see something that looks intriguing I have to know what it is and how it works. That worked for me in college, when my friends who were projectionists for Stony Brook, would watch me tinker with their projectors and ask them lots of questions. I was told, “Why are you wasting your time, you’ll never be a projectionist.” Of course, when all of the projectionists left that one weekend for a protest march on Washington, guess who they asked to show the 7 showings of “the Graduate” at the university.

When computers first came out I couldn’t help but play with them and still do. That is why districts now hire me to train teachers on technology.

Being curious and wanting to find answers has taught me a lot.You can add energy of a cat to the traits that I admire. I like to keep moving. During the day, I can go from one activity to another without taking a breath. Then, like a cat, I can sit for hours and just veg out on TV catching up on all the shows that I’ve recorded that I know I can only watch when my wife is not home. (Keep those dirty thoughts out of your mind; she hates Sci-fi and murder mysteries)

Being a teacher and always being student germ conscious, I tend to wash my hands a lot. I guess that would go with cats cleaning themselves all the time.

Cats also tend to take care of themselves and at times like alone time as well as cuddling up with a loved one.

Traits I don’t relate too…I’m really not that stubborn and do learn some lessons quickly. DID YOU HEAR THAT. I said I’m not STUBBORN, Don’t you try to tell me I am.

Like a cat, I do shed, unfortunately at my age it doesn’t always grow back.

So kittens and cats would be the animals that I mostly identify with. They are in fact lovable creatures as I hope I am. But you would have to ask others if that is a fact. Meanwhile, I’m due for a nap.