Sized to fit

Frik is having a problem with his box. We got rid of the large litter box he had in the house when we moved because it wouldn’t fit in the back seat of the truck for travel. So we bought an ‘apartment-sized’ box and have been using that one ever since. The little guy (well, not so little, which is the problem) has tried his best, perching on the side and balancing on his toes, to stay within the confines, but by the time he’s dug his hole and tried to position himself over it, he’s already having boundary problems. And the other day it all went wrong. We had a bit of a cleanup to do, and he was mortified.

The litter box sizing should have been to the cat, not the space. What were we thinking?

How often do we find ourselves fitting to one criterion when a completely different one would make more sense; would make the results easier to live with? We choose careers by the availability of jobs rather than personal aptitude or interest, for example. Or we buy clothes that are trendy rather than what looks good on us. We espouse political positions because they are what we hear most often and because they make good sound bites – ‘mom’ and ‘apple pie’ sort of sound bites. I even got married a couple of times because it seemed like the right thing to do! How much of what we do and believe and decide is really based on something solid and valid - sized right, so to speak?

The trick is in knowing what criteria to follow, of course. And that, at the very least, takes some practice. Years and years of it are still inadequate, if some of my own decisions are examined!

Anyway, Frik is getting a larger box. We are moving to a bigger apartment – the best compromise we can make under the circumstances. I’m even rethinking my position on not going shopping for new bras – something I just hate to do and so usually don’t, with shabby results. (The criterion there is 'enjoying time spent,' not 'well-fitted underwear,' without which, of course, I can't really enjoy my time doing anything... Sorry – the ‘sized to fit’ title just kept bringing me back to that. I mostly write for myself, you know.)

Sometimes you just have to step back and reevaluate the reasons behind some of the things you do. Life is a lot easier if things are sized to fit.