Curiosity Isn't Fatal

I don't buy it.

You know, that old proverb you hear over-protective grandmothers wagging at their grandchildren: "Curiosity killed the cat."

Well, here's proof (hehe). It's simply not true.

This picture captures DH introducing (or re-introducing) our fuzzy cat, Snickers, to Elsie, Kenya, and Baxter.

We excluded Ridge because he goes a little bonkers around cats. :o)

But Baxter and Elsie have each snuggled with, and licked, and nudged, and sniffed, and been scratching posts for the Snickers beast in the past. They've been buds.

That's one-at-a-time, of course. It hasn't usually been two or three Labs to one uppity feline.

We felt it was time for Kenya and Snickers to become acquainted. Kenya, to this point, had only viewed Snickers from the top of the basement stairs where Snickers likes to lounge. Snickers has generally ignored Kenya's pleas to play so far.

So one day about two weeks ago, Daddy Don scooped up Snickers and brought him up to the kitchen to hang out with the gang.

And all were curious.

Kenya couldn't hold still (forgive the blurred image). She wiggled all over, as if she were thinking ohboyohboyohboy-another-four-footed-creature-that's-furry
-and-has-four-legs-and-smells-funny-and-has-paws-and-
makes-noise-and-moves-and-has-a-tail-and-is-littler-than-me!

The Kenya Bean couldn't have been more delighted and curious!

Snicks, too. He was perfectly content (purred) to be licked and nudged and sniffed and prodded.

Curiosity didn't hurt either of them. And it certainly didn't kill them.

In fact, they were better for it.

I think curiosity is a good thing, not a threatening life-taker. It leads to discovery.

Sometimes the discovery is huge and world-changing (like penicillin). Sometimes it's small and impacts only the single curious soul.

But that single soul is richer for it.

And sometimes curiosity leads to growth, understanding, surprise, and delight.

Oh, sure, curiosity can be painful (as in a toddler's curiosity about hot stove burners, for example); but even the pain leads to learning and wisdom (that toddler won't touch that burner again).

But, in my book, a life without curiosity would be no life at all: boring, dull, and soul-less. You might be alive, but you wouldn't be living.

I think the best part of curiosity isn't even necessarily the discovery or the end result; I think it's the delight-filled wonder we experience along the way.

It's like we become children again, and the world is our adventure.

It's like Labs whose nature it is stay puppies their entire lives.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

'Til next time,
Joan