Emboldened by Petra Pierre - Robertson

Thou hast emboldened me... (Song of Solomon 4:9)

Emboldened

    He stood frozen in the patio staring me fixed in the eye. It reminded me of the movie Cats and Dogs. The culprit had been revealed. Mere hours before we were wondering what animal had scattered the small stones we had aesthetically placed around our plants.

What scattered the stones?

    It couldn't be the dog that snuck into our yard to use the mulch around the plants as a toilet. We had changed the mulch to stone to dissuade that olfactory dysfunction.That change while dissuading the dog seemed to have attracted another animal. What animal was that? We wondered. I tell you, when you think you have dealt with one situation there are others waiting. You run from the lion and encounter a bear (Amos 5:19); or from a bear on land to a shark in the sea.

Running from one situation into another

    Anyway let me continue telling you of Mr Cat.  COVID realities caused me to be working from home. It was a little after 7. The house was quiet. I got up from my desk to get an item, looked through the window as I passed the patio, and there he was.  The culprit was revealed. The cat! In broad daylight! When and how did he become so emboldened!

Emboldened

    Less than a year ago it hid in the drain in the backyard, scurrying away at any sound or movement, jumping over the wall, fleeing down the drain, moving at lightening speed out of the yard through the gate. We suspected it was sleeping in the chairs in the patio at night. And we did nothing. We didnt interfere with it; didn't run it away; didn't address its presence. We turned a blind eye.  And gradually it encroached, tested boundaries and came closer.

Silence empowered this perpetrator

    Now, here he was! in MY house! The emboldened audacity of the stray cat!  I pretended I didn't see him and left. (For my camera of course because the words of the blog were now running through my head). You know I returned to see the boldface cat settling down to continue his mischief with the stones! Close to 8am! How emboldened is that! 

    When finally he sensed my presence, he looked up, eyeballed me and left. He didn't scurry away or flee, he just skipped out like, " What she interrupt me for. I will return because she won't do anything."

    And true to form he did return. I saw him later in the evening relaxing on the wall by the front lawn. His insiduous behavior was a bold statement on the repercussions of non-action and silence.

Insiduous Cat

    He no longer needed to hide. He had basically claimed the territory as his own and now strutted around believing he was untouchable - enabled and emboldened! The following morning I went for my morning walk in the backyard and stumbled upon him. It was the closest I saw him in the backyard. He didnt budge. He eyeballed me! He knew I would do nothing.

No longer fleeing

    My silence has certainly empowered that perpetrator. He has taken over the yard and is now moving to the house. But at least he keeps the rat away, so we need him. It is just to get him to respect boundaries (does this sound familiar?) Listen reader, I don't know who needs to hear this, but, nonaction leads to emboldened behavior. In ignoring situations you enable unhealthy, and potentially toxic actions. Silence and nonaction empower perpetrators and cause them to be emboldened.

Nonaction empowers perpetrators

You will meet Mr. Cat again in another blog. Stay tuned for what being emboldened led to!