(Title Translation: Cats Always Land On Their Feet; except when they don't.)When my wife, Kathy, was a little girl, she had a pet cat. One evening when her parents were entertaining guests, after supper her father was showing off to their company. He grabbed the cat and announced that cats always land on their feet when dropped. He held it upside down by the feet, raised it up, and then dropped it.
He had done this many times before and it never failed. The cat had always righted itself when he was dropped. This time it didn’t. The cat fell straight to the floor and hit squarely on his back. The impact broke the cat’s back and killed him instantly.
Kathy was hysterical, her mother was embarrassed and disgusted, and the guests were absolutely horrified. I don't know if that ended their relationship with their guests but I wouldn't recommend that kind of stunt if you really want to win friends and influence people.
Have you ever done anything really stupid? I have!
When I was a boy, my cousins and I enjoyed throwing darts. But mothers know that darts are dangerous missiles, and as mothers are prone to do, ours constantly warned us to stand well clear of the area around the target while someone was throwing.
But we thought we knew better. We were pretty good dart throwers and seldom missed the target. So, in order to save precious time and extra steps, I stood beside the target while my cousin took his turn. He missed. The dart stuck firmly in my kneecap; I instinctively grabbed it and yanked it out. Oh, man, did that ever hurt!
My mother never found out about that incident. I’m sure the chastening I might have suffered at her hands for my stupid disobedience would have been far more painful than the dart in my kneecap. Besides, had she known, I might never have been allowed to graduate from darts to guns.
From that time on, I never stood near the target.
“The wise man looks ahead.” Prov. 14:8
“a small mistake can outweigh much wisdom and honor.” Eccl. 10:1
5-9-09
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