PDL and Love Letters at the Zen Bar

Complete- Drop #89: Write a Love Letter

      About a month ago I was blog stumbling and ran across a site called The World Needs More Love Letters. Once I figured out what it was all about, I fell in love with the concept. I had to add writing a "Love Letter" to my list. The tasked looked quick and simple enough, and I am all for anonymously brightening a stranger's day.

Love Letters to a Stranger: Creepy?

"Love Letters"

      These are not your typical love letters. A part of me wishes that they weren't even called that. It sounds cliche, and brings up connotations of the cheesy love letters you hear about in the movies or those immature little notes you would write to your crush in high school. Let's just say if I told anybody that I write love letters to strangers, I'd probably get a few odd looks. Maybe even a death glare from the husband.

      These are actually more like 'pick me up' letters. They're written with some sort of positive message with the purpose of brightening somebody's day. They can be specific to a particular person, to a group of people, or to a complete stranger.

     I was inspired. But, where do you put a letter like that? Anywhere, I suppose. But I found difficulty in writing a positive message to somebody when I had absolutely no idea who that person might be. I needed some sort of general idea of what this person might look like, so before writing I had to think of the perfect location. Somewhere it would be easily discovered and, hopefully, appreciated.

PDL Stall at the Zen Bar

     Over the past month my husband's band has played a few gigs at the Zen Bar in Plainville, CT. This is a fairly new bar, which was why when I went to the ladies room to empty my pregnant bladder I was surprised to see this:

Part of the Wall in the PDL Stall



     What's so surprising about a graffiti-filled bathroom stall at a bar? It wasn't the act of graffiti-ing itself, but what people had chosen to write. A majority of the defacing was upbeat, positive messages promoting love and self-acceptance. It was oddly refreshing. I don't recall seeing such a positive form of defacing a bathroom stall anywhere else.

     I personally dubbed this space the "Public Display of Love Stall." I love the ironic twists some of the graffiti-ists signed to, and the overall message that is portrayed on the wall while you're doing your business. Sure, like any graffiti-splashed bathroom stall there were some negative messages or profanity, but that is overruled by the positive messages that resonate with you as you wipe. This stall is right up my alley.

     What better place to leave a love letter than in a love stall? Now I had a pretty clear idea of who my audience would be, and I couldn't think of a more appropriate place to leave some love. My search for the perfect location ended almost no sooner than it began.

Everything Happens for a Reason

     I wanted a fairly generic stationary; something that I could use on more than one occasion, and that came in duplicates in case I messed up. I wasn't looking to spend any more than about five bucks.

     I happened to come across a pack of ten blank greeting cards with a simple, fairly neutral design and an inspiring quote. It was light-hearted and reminded me of spring. Snatched.

     Time came to write the letter. Writer's block kicked in, but figured if I didn't put something down, I'd never actually get around to it. It was time to stop procrastinating and to just get it done.

     The "Love Letter":

 Hey You!

     Perhaps it's cliche, but just remember that everything happens for a reason. It's true. There's a reason why you are at this bar, listening to this music, and now reading this totally random card you found. That's right- you're exactly where you are supposed to be!

The "Love Letter"

      Stop panicking about the future! You'll get exactly where you're going, and you will end up exactly where you need to be when the time is right. All you can do is live right now- be yourself. Stop underestimating your awesomeness. Give others the chance to discover you and the unique qualities that you offer to the world! 

     So we've all made mistakes in the past. So what? You can't changed what's happened, but it's already changed you. And for the better. It is those experiences that have made us who we are, and you shouldn't change yourself for anybody or anything. Embrace the Past! It's a part of you now. And you're pretty awesome.

*You are Strong  

*You are Brave 

*You are Beautiful 

and you are On the Right Track!

Keep Chuggin' :-P

Love,

Me

       A few weekends ago my husband's band played at the Zen bar again for a charity event. When I went to visit the PDL stall, I placed the letter on top of the toilet role holders. 

      Can't get much more obvious than that! I snuck out of the bathroom like a guilty puppy that just peed on the carpet. I couldn't help feeling like everybody knew what I had just done. 

     I feel good. I hope that somebody found it, and that it was just the thing needed to brighten their day. Of course, I am being an optimist, and what most likely happened was somebody read it, laughed, and then tossed it in the trash.

     Even if that's the case, I still feel good. If that person exists they suck, because I can't think of a more perfect place to have put the letter, One of the types of people that almost certainly could benefit from a pick-me-up is a sloppy, sloshy drunk chick.

Have you ever written a "Love Letter?"

What are some things that you have done to help brighten a stranger's day?

National Pet Month- Paxil Jack

May is National Pet Month. So, it only seems appropriate that you should:

Meet Jack.

    
     I've had some beef with Jack lately. He's been joyfully peeing on whatever he gosh darn pleases. It's been a blast. I really need to get to the bottom of this issue, so I have put fixing his pee problem on my list of 25 before 25.

Some History on Jack

The Goal: To adopt a cat. We had been working with this 'Cat Lady' for months trying to find a cat that would 'fit our family,' but she always came up dry. A few days before my 21st birthday, she presented us with 'BlackJack.'

 Jack was everything we weren't looking for. We wanted something small and cute, that didn't mind being picked up or played with. Jack could have been inbred with a panther- he was Sixteen pounds of pure muscle! Cat Lady let him out of his cage, and he responded to our pets by biting. All the other adoption pictures showed the new adopters fondly stroking their new addition to the family. Ours is of these two nervous people standing in front of a massive panther cat glaring at the camera from behind the bars of his carrier.

  

Fetal Urinary Syndrome

    
Jack, like most other cats, came fully litter box trained. The peeing problem began when we vacationed to Texas for a week, leaving Jack alone. A friend of the family stopped by once a day to replenish food, water and scoop litter. When we came back Jack was peeing on towels, clothes, and other soft niceties. When he peed on a plastic bag I saw blood, and so I took him to the vet.

     Jack had Fetal Urinary Syndrome (FUS), a disease not too uncommon in male cats where the bladder can produce crystals that get caught in and cut the urethra.  The vet said it could have been triggered from the stress of being alone on our first trip away since we had gotten him. After a few weeks of treatment he was all better. No more painful pee.

Bad Habits

Although the FUS is in remission, the bad habits remained. At first it wasn't so bad- it was limited to the bathroom mat. Then it moved to wet towels. Recently, and with our recent downgrade from a two floor, two bedroom to a single floor and one bedroom apartment, Jack pees on anything that is damp or left on the floor. The last straw came when he climbed in to a laundry basket full of freshly washed clothes and urinated on them! Enough is enough! Surely there is a solution.  

Paxil Jack

 We had changed some of our own behaviors toward Jack, thinking maybe we were stressing him out. That didn't work. Although I was fairly certain FUS wasn't the cause, I took him to the vet just to make sure.

Sure enough, it wasn't FUS. Apparently, my little kitty is anxious and depressed and needed the antidepressant PAXIL! I couldn't help but to crack up as I handed the pharmacist the prescription.

     Apparently, my cat is a depressed, anxious mess.

     But it does explain the his aggression, tearing up of furniture, and peeing everywhere. Unfortunately, such problems are one of the cons of adopting an animal. You have to be willing to deal with the physical or emotional trauma that they come with, and you can't  give up at the first sign of a problem.

I hope this Paxil works! I've tried everything else, so this is a last resort. Come on, Jack! Give it a whirl!

Have you ever had behavioral issues with a pet?

Would you give your cat Antidepressants?