07.28.10

07.28.10, originally uploaded by colemama.

After the storm, the sunlight pours through the window...still, Athena shows signs of anxiety. This summer, she developed a fear of thunder/lightning/rain (it is an especially tough reaction given our daily afternoon summer thunderstorms) and is pretty inconsolable. With incessant panting and pacing, she sometimes finds refuge in the bathtub, but she doesn't appear to relax until the storm is well off the radar.

Animals, like young children, are fairly easily 'read' - they've not yet learned to mask their true emotions...they've not found a reason to do so. Revealing one's emotions can be a risky venture - there's the potential for not meeting 'politically correct' standards, the loss of privacy with disclosure of true feelings, and the inference of the loss of control. Of course, there are always 'trade-offs' - but the animals and young children typically have not learned the value of manipulating the expression of feelings...and maybe that's a good thing! Naples, FL