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September 23, 2019: And When You can’t Find Something

Animals, in some ways, have it pretty easy. They have few self-designated possessions, so they don’t lose things the way we do. Subsequently they don’t spend time looking for inanimate objects. It is a constant battle, particularly for non-domesticated animals, to keep their energy levels up, so walking around, looking for lost things such as pens, paper, the list of things to do (which was right here a minute ago, for sure it was. I will swear by this on a stack of dog bones) is something that could over the long haul be life-threatening.

Well, domesticated animals – we domesticated them, so for dogs the search is on for the elusive tug toy, the still ripe

Alys reading in her study
Alys reading in her study

soup bone, the fetch toy. And for non-domesticated animals (such as bears), the search is on for berries, fish, water sources.

Animals don’t have prefrontal cortexes that are as fully developed as ours; ironically, this is why we are at a disadvantage in this respect. A case in point: The goats, chickens, horses, and dog have all been fed and watered and are now taking their midday naps. Me, I’ve taken care of them and eaten breakfast. They are relaxed and I’m anxious. Why am I anxious? Because I can’t find the contact information that I was given at the fair. I have my recycling proposal finished and now want to send it on to the woman I met at the Alaska State Fair, so as to see what my next step in marketing this proposal might be. I never heard back from The University of Alaska Press.

I need her name, her email address, her phone number. I know I set it right next to my computer a few weeks ago. In this space of time, it acquired feet and became ambulatory. It got bored, sitting next to me, and so it got up and wandered off. I searched around the room a bit, didn’t find the card. I now know that in order for this card to surface that I am going to have to clean up this space.

It’s a beautiful day out, and so I have decided to spend most of it outside. I am also aware that the time spent looking for this calling card (yoo hoo) would be better spent riding horses, doing yard work, doing agility. It is because I am aware of this that I’m anxious.

Ahh, as I was writing this, a possible solution materialized. I am going to look online, on the author’s website, under the header Alaskan Authors, for contact information. Hurrah for the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, for enabling me to come up with other options.

This room still needs to be straightened and cleaned. Perhaps I will do this this evening, after the sun sets and I can no longer do much outside. I am not going to do this now. Not doing this now actually is what I call reverse discipline. It is also indicative of the fact that I have excellent time management skills.

My animals, my teachers. I should take lessons from them in how to chill.

Next: 264. 9/24/19: Rise and Shine! Create the Planet you Want!

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