I was born without a functioning left hip and so I was in braces until around the age three. Because I couldn't walk nor run with the other children at the park or explore the house like a normal child of my age, my parents were very diligent to buy toys that I could more easily access with my limited mobility.
I can't say that I blame them; it sounds like a good strategy. However, despite all their efforts to facilitate my creativity through accessible toys, I wasn't particularly interested in ANY of them. According to my late mother, I experienced my greatest joys on the floor of our kitchen banging on the pots and pans I could reach!
I was reminded of this childhood tale today in relation to our new dog, Lily. Before bringing her home, we read up on the dachshund breed. Our research indicated that dachshunds are inquisitive little dogs who need lots of doggy toys to keep them occupied. So, we trooped off to our local department store (they have a good pet department) to pick out a slew of items.
I'm sure you know where this is going. Lily has shown little interest in any of the toys we purchased specifically for her! No matter how we try to get her to play with them, she has shown a real ho-hum attitude. This changed, however, when she found under a cupboard an old cat toy. It is a small plastic ball with a bell inside. She chases it all over the house at all hours of the day and night with bounding joy.
What's the point of these two brief stories? It is that we humans have a penchant for trying to get others to fall in line with our own preconceived notions, rather than allowing situations to unfold organically. We try to force the flow into a certain direction, instead of just going with it.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
I can't say that I blame them; it sounds like a good strategy. However, despite all their efforts to facilitate my creativity through accessible toys, I wasn't particularly interested in ANY of them. According to my late mother, I experienced my greatest joys on the floor of our kitchen banging on the pots and pans I could reach!
I was reminded of this childhood tale today in relation to our new dog, Lily. Before bringing her home, we read up on the dachshund breed. Our research indicated that dachshunds are inquisitive little dogs who need lots of doggy toys to keep them occupied. So, we trooped off to our local department store (they have a good pet department) to pick out a slew of items.
I'm sure you know where this is going. Lily has shown little interest in any of the toys we purchased specifically for her! No matter how we try to get her to play with them, she has shown a real ho-hum attitude. This changed, however, when she found under a cupboard an old cat toy. It is a small plastic ball with a bell inside. She chases it all over the house at all hours of the day and night with bounding joy.
What's the point of these two brief stories? It is that we humans have a penchant for trying to get others to fall in line with our own preconceived notions, rather than allowing situations to unfold organically. We try to force the flow into a certain direction, instead of just going with it.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
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