Daily Archives: 2007/03/13

Nietzsche told us that “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”As I have aged I have seen that is more than true. Not that there have been many attempts on my life, which there have not, at least not that I am aware of.

I think of this more in the philosophical and emotional sense.

I have been thinking about the past a lot lately, not sure why, but I have been really thinking about all that has happened to me, and where I am now. The question that I come up with is would I still be where I am now, and doing what I am doing, if the bad things in my life had not occurred? Were my failings actually just small parts that made up my success?

I would say that this is the case.

We learn at a very young age that when we do something wrong, it has consequences. Then, as we get older, we learn that those consequences can have greater repercussions. Trust me, I could write a book on my mistakes, and maybe even have enough for two volumes. Some of them I would not be willing to share, but if I were to have removed them from my life, then I think that I would not be quite the person I am today.

Mistakes help us keep perspective and remind us that we are not as good or as hot as we would always like to think we are. Should we ever start getting a little too cocky or full of ourselves, then there is that little laughing gremlin sitting somewhere ready to knock us down a few pegs. If you are a follower of any faith, then you understand that this is probably God reminding you that there are things that are greater than yourself.

Personally I think that this is something slightly akin to Karma. Karma is simply a spiritual version of Newtonian law. For everything you do, there is a reaction… maybe not always an opposite, but certainly an equal reaction. I have learned that the more good I do and the more positive outlook I have, then the more good happens to me, or me or for those around me.

We will keep making mistakes, and we will keep learning from them, or at least I hope we do, and people will continue to not listen to our learned advice and experience. This will, in turn, help the next generation and the generations after that learn how to be who they will be. There is nothing wrong with this, and it is expected.

Look at your life… how often did you listen to a person say not to do something because of certain possible consequences, then you do it anyway thinking that you can do it better? We all have… and most of the time we realize that we they were, at least in part, right.

That’s all… Just some insight.

Thanks for your time, and we’ll leave the light on for ya!

As I reach the five year mark with my present position, I have had a chance to reflect on many things.

When I was very young, I was undecided on what I wanted to do with my life. I went through the usual stages of wanting to be a Fireman, a Policeman, a Doctor, etc… But under it all I had always had a love for animals.

Nowadays I can honestly say that I have one regret, and that is that I did not become a Veterinarian. That is not to say that I do not like what I do, because I do enjoy my job, but I do not think that it gives me the same sense of accomplishment that being a Vet.

I know that at almost 40, someone with more drive could probably still go to school and become a vet with several years left to practice, but I guess I am a wimp.

I know that there is really no way for me to go back to school now, for two reasons. 1. Money… While I would not consider myself poor, I have no way of going to school and supporting myself and my wife if I were to return to school full time. 2. Location… my town really has no place to go to school to become a Vet… I would have to relocate or commute in order to go to school. Needless to say, it is not happening any time soon.

So… not being able to become a Vet, I do what I can otherwise. I donate money to worthy causes that can help animals. In fact my wife and I have three dogs, and all of them are rescue dogs. They all came to us as homeless or needy dogs.

If you are a vet, or are becoming one, then you have my respect. You provide a service that is second only to that of Doctors that practice human medicine. In reality there is not much difference between the two, but with animals, you are helping something that cannot communicate what hurts and why.

For those of you who are not vets, but would like to help other programs, then please follow the attached links:

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Hearts United for Animals