Pick on someone your own size
One late morning, over the weekend, I took Flipper and Sunny for a walk.
Since it was beautiful outside, some neighbors were busy catching up on their yard work.
We are approaching a yard with a couple busy trimming hedges.
The wife is coming toward us so we stop and chat for a few minutes. Shortly the husband is joining us.
“He is Dr. Dolittle — he loves animals”, the wife is saying.
Flipper is really showing off now — her tail is fanned; and she is whistling and vocalizing.
She likes the guy.
All this mayhem attracts the couple next door. All five of us are watching Flipper’s antics.
That’s when “Dr. Dolittle” asks if can pick one up.
“Sure, you can pick up Sunny; he’s friendly and doesn’t bite anyone”, I say as I’m getting ready to pass Sunny to him.
Before I could finish the sentence he picks up Flipper.
Off my shoulder!
Well, next thing we all hear is, “Ouch!!” I’m looking up — Flipper has a good grip on one of his fingers. And won’t let go!
I’m trying to get my feathered Rottweiler but she is beyond my reach. The guy is tall; and he’s holding his arm high.
Sunny is repenting for both. Flipper says, “Trouble-maker? Who, me?!”
“Please lower your arm, so I can get her!”
I free the finger and grab the little biter.
She is all happy with herself — whistling and lots of, “Scooby Doo’s” are coming out of her beak.
And more tail-fanning.
Several minutes later “Dr. Dolittle” says he wants to pick her up again.
The other guys, including his wife, are looking at him like he’s lost his mind.
Reluctantly, I had to agree with him,
“If he wants to make friends with her, yes, he does need to pick her up again.”
Then I turn to him,
“Please keep your arm where I can reach; so I can discipline her — if necessary.”
All is well that ends well. And I’m happy to say Flipper made a new friend.
Pick on someone your own size
Interestingly, when children are approaching us, Flipper is quick to seek protection.
The younger they are the more cautious she becomes.
Not with the grown-ups.
With rare exceptions, she is ready to chat with anyone.
The episode with, “Dr. Dolittle”: Flipper didn’t really want to hurt him.
Just wanted to show him who’s the boss.
The whole thing reminded me of that saying,
“Pick on someone your own size.”
Based on the kind of people she picks on, it’s obvious what she thinks about her size : )
Thanks for visiting.
Mariana worked on both, the east and the west coast.
Big or small, each project she worked on helped define the importance of gaining and sustaining a competitive edge in an increasingly complex business environment.
Business know-how, love of teaching and writing – all combined in 2006 to form OBI.
Its mission: to make learning fun! And easy.
Through its training, consulting, and publications OBI builds bridges of knowledge to take you from where you are to
where you want to go. Using a mix of serious, informal, analytical, and optimistic approach, OBI truly makes learning fun.
Learn More
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!