Will the dog in me one day bite me?

Over 35 years ago when I was last an employee, I had a supervisor who many co-workers judged as a difficult person.  Fortunately for me, I didn’t share this judgement.  I got along with him reasonably well; although, at times, it wasn’t easy.  Perhaps the reason was  he treated me decent and different than how he treated others.

Why? 

I’m not sure but his “different strokes for different folks” way of dealing with co-workers is common human behavior.  Regrettably, I engage in similar behavior and am sure if you’re honest, you do too.

Anyway, he had a certain notoriety and often came up during  work break conversations when he wasn’t present.  The chatter was typically dominated by those who judged they were always on the short end of his different strokes for different folks conduct.

One person among this crowd once said something about him that made me laugh.  He said that “So and so is so darn ornery that his dog regularly bites him.”  I don’t know if this was true that this man’s best friend did bite him or if it was merely a figure of speech to drive home a point.

Over the weekend, I talked to a friend who shared how he was suffering from stir crazy syndrome.  He’s been afflicted with it since being shelter in place homebound due to a Coronavirus Executive Order by our Governor.  I’ve had my stir-crazy moments too, although the work I do is considered “minimum essential” so I’m free to go to work.  Therefore, I’m “legally” more mobile than my friend and others.

Nonetheless, I still have mild stir-crazy moments even though I’m likely busier than my friend.

Why?

Is it because the chaotic vibrancy of living life in the fast lane is now an unfamiliar stillness of sorts?

When will it end?  Your guess is as good or bad as mine; as the saying goes, time will tell.

Maybe, yes maybe, this stir-crazy feeling is the result of being tired spending too much time with ourselves.

Maybe, yes maybe, we really don’t like spending too much time with ourselves.  

Maybe, yes maybe, by spending a lot of time with ourselves, we’re getting to know ourselves better.

And maybe, yes maybe, we’re learning there are things about us we really don’t like.  Maybe like my former supervisor who co-workers found difficult to get along with.  

I don’t own a dog, but if I did, would my dog bite me like, supposedly, my former supervisor’s dog did, according to the co-worker’s revelation?

There’s a good chance our stir-crazy symptoms will continue for a while.  We’ll have many opportunities to further explore and discover how well we get along when spending lots of time by ourselves.

Is there something about our behaviors making it unpleasant for others and ourselves to be around us?  

Will the dog in me one day bite me?    

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum