A Leopard's Spots

A friend said : And so I told her--He is what he is. And if I have learned anything in all the years that I have been married, it is that no one can change anyone—because God knows I have tried.

During the snow storm I continued with a project that I had already started—cleaning out my pantry/broom closet. And in reorganizing the gift and shopping bags I found an illustrated book written by my daughter. She was 9 at the time.

It was called “The Puppy.” It was about a little girl who wanted a puppy for her birthday—pretty standard stuff. But what was more telling than the plot was the underlying angst and the fear the main character had over making a decision—and then the angst over the angst.

The little girl in the story was my not only my daughter then, but now.

Because my friend is correct. We are who we are. And while we all have the capacity to change, it must be self-induced. Turning oneself around requires  a conscious effort to fight what comes naturally—to go against what we are programmed to be.

We are all hard wired with autoplay.

And the key to a leopard changing their spots might be less about using a giant spray bottle of Resolve in tandem with a spray can of Rustoleum, and more about finding a leopardess who appreciates the spots’ location exactly as they are.