reality check

why do we find ourselves wanting what we can't have?  or more specifically, why do we want what we think we can't have?

case in point: my adventurous kitty from a previous post, who we will call 'B'.  last night as we were getting to sleep, we heard her walking around on our dresser.  the reason we noticed was because of the crinkling of papers underneath her feet.  it sounded like she was trying to get into something, so we called out her name and before we could even flick the light on, there was the loud thump as she jumped down to hide underneath the table.

as soon as the light was on and we repeated her name, she was running out the door and down the stairs.

upon closer inspection, we deduced that she must have been trying to pry her way into the chocolate bars left over from valentine's day.  chocolate, which is known to be very toxic for cats.  that wouldn't have stopped her from ingesting it though.

it may seem like a silly example, but B knows better.  we obviously don't let her have chocolate and she understands that anything atop the dresser is off-limits.  otherwise, she wouldn't have attempted her raid while the lights were on or in plain sight, and she definitely wouldn't have run if she thought she was innocent.

and our B is constantly wanting what she can't have.  we realized early on that if we banned her from an area or food, she would "beg" for it with big eyes or long cries.  i'm able to tell her no, but if i were in her paws, would that stop me?  i doubt it.

i guess desire in a way is complex.  when we're told not to want things, it only makes us more thirsty.  somehow, if we could level that will with our practical, rational world, the yearning for unattainable things would subside.. but that, as B would show you, is not an easy thing to do.