Kelley Pujol Writes: Be the Change

Perhaps you have heard the quote from Gandhi, “be the change you want to see in the world.” What does that mean exactly?

Well, recently, I moved into a new house. In this house, all the closet doors are mirrored. My shih tzu has never before had such access to mirrors. Sure, she has seen herself reflected in the sliding glass door at my old house when the light was just right, but to be able to see herself any time day or night is a bit of a novelty to her.

Not that she knows what she is seeing is herself – at least not all the time.

Sometimes she sees her reflection and pays it no more attention than you or I would our faint reflections in a store front window (unless we wanted to check our hair or something). But other times – well, that’s really what I want to write about.

You see, whenever she becomes frustrated or bored – especially when the rest of us first go bed each night – that’s when she wants to get that puppy out of the mirror. She starts by growling at the puppy in the mirror, then starts adopting a playful posture and barking at the puppy in the mirror.

The puppy in the mirror appears to want to play with her too – it is posturing and barking back. At this point, she starts trying to run behind the puppy in the mirror – by going in the closet or circling out into the hall – but then she can’t find the puppy.

So, she goes back to the mirror.

She might give a couple more goes, but then it dawns on her all a new, “oh yeah, that’s me in the mirror. There is no other puppy to get out.”

So it is with us. We get frustrated, we get bored, we could have been contenders… if only it weren’t for the Republicans, Democrats, where we live, who we married – take your pick –

But remember – every situation in your life that has ever frustrated you –
What did they have in common?
You.
You got it –
You’re the puppy in the mirror.
So am I.
Let’s be the change.