Sadness

I didn't really want to write this post but I can't get it out of my head. So here goes:

I want to talk about sadness. It amazes (and saddens) me how many of my animal friends who seem so full of sunshine, who make me smile when I need it most, struggle with deep, dark, long sadness. Sometimes they tweet something so you know what they're going through. Sometimes they just disappear for a few days or a few months and all you can do is send a message, hope they respond, hope they're alright.

This is hard for us because we like to help-I think most anipals fit in that category. But this kind of sadness is a slippery, tricksy thing because while I think we all can relate to it, it remains unique to every person who goes through it. Meaning that the only person who can fix it, is the one whom it's affecting. Those on the outside are more or less helpless. All we can do is care, offer to lend an ear or a shoulder, and pray.

I think so many anipals experience this sadness because anipals tend to be a very open, sensitive group. I believe we gravitate toward the anipal community because it feels very safe and loving. However, once in a while there is drama or a misunderstanding or an intentional fight. It's hard for me to see this (well, it's hard for me to see, period, but you know what I mean) because it doesn't accomplish anything. Sure, there are times when I disagree with someone or heck, even know for a fact they are just plain wrong. But if I find myself about to tweet a response, I usually erase it. I'm not a milquetoast by any means, but what does it accomplish asides from hurt feelings? Is it worth ruining someone's day to prove a point? So unless it's a very big deal and/or is directed at me, I usually just keep my paws quiet.

By all means, if something is important to you, speak up. But please keep in mind that we don't always know what the other person is going through and so we can't know the impact our words might have.