The dog and cat were the best of friends, despite having very little in common. Everyone's notions would suggest they shouldn't be friends at all. They didn't look similar, thought in different ways, ate different foods, and enjoyed different things. The dog was loud, and often barked if he saw something wrong, but was kind and gentle. The cat was quiet, and enjoyed being cosy in her little spaces, but also had a bit of a habit of scratching at things; even things that weren't hers. The large dog and the little cat took long walks together, ate together, drank together, enjoyed music together and played together for many a long and happy afternoon. They often disagreed- and now and again fell out, as friends sometimes do- but they got past these things, and felt much better after both saying sorry for the mean things they had said to each other.
The cat had not always had a happy life. When she was young, her family had been very cruel to her. Even now she had grown up, thinking about it made her very sad, and also worry about things from time to time. Sometimes it would even make her cry, and wonder if she would ever be happy again.
However, the cat often talked to her friend the dog. The dog didn't know what it was like for the cat, because he had not been through the same sad times as she had; but he was always there to listen, calm her down, and do his best to make her feel better. Sometimes they would lie and talk to each other for hours until they both went off to sleep.
Although it made him feel happy to help his friend; sometimes the dog felt very lonely. A lot of animals liked him, but because of that, it was hard to admit that he was sad sometimes too.
One day, the dog lost a very special friend.
When that happened, he was so sad that something changed. Sometimes he didn't enjoy his favourite games anymore. Other times he didn't want to go outside. Some of the dog's friends moved away, but he still had a friend in the little tabby cat.
Over time, things changed for the cat too. She found another cat to live with and a place to call her own. She made new friends in different places, and found a few new things she was good at. This made her proud. She liked to tell the other animals about how far she had come, even though bad things had happened to her.
Eventually, the dog went to an older, wiser dog to find out what was wrong with him, and to get some help. He got some good advice, and some medicine to help make him feel better, but the wise old dog said the large dog should talk to a good friend about how he had been feeling, because being honest about it would help.
The dog knew exactly who he wanted to talk to.
When he did talk to her, the little tabby cat said the dog should just stop feeling sorry for himself. She said that she was tired of hearing him bark all the time, and she had other friends who didn't make so much noise.
The dog was confused and heartbroken. When the cat needed him, he had rushed to her aid whenever he could. Now that he was in trouble, it seemed the cat wasn't interested, because she was happy and secure now, and the dog was far too sad for her. He began to wonder whether he had ever been the cat's friend at all, or just another scratching post.
The dog slowly began to feel angry, and eventually loudly barked at the cat to tell her what he thought of her. They stopped being friends, and the cat began to hiss at him whenever she saw him. The dog growled and bared his teeth, and after that she stopped.
The dog began to feel much better about himself. Sometimes he still feels very sad, but that's alright, because he learned some new tricks, and still takes his medicine every day.
Now, when he thinks of the cat, he isn't even angry anymore, he feels pity. He just hopes she never has to hear someone else say to her what she said to him.
Most of all though, he feels very thankful for all of the wonderful animals he is friends with, and knows now more than ever what that means.
---
The morals of this tale:
1) Value and care for your friends, even on their worst days- regardless of how you're feeling.
2) People who cannot do the above are not your friends.
3) Depression can affect anyone, no matter who they are or how they seem.
4) A great friendship isn't necessarily built on what you have in common
5) Just because you've had a hard life, doesn't mean that your struggles or achievements are more important than anyone else's; they're just different.
6) Dogs are wonderful animals. Cats? Less so.
No comments:
Post a Comment