Self-Identity and Affirmation

I am not an animal lover. There, I said it!  Let the stoning begin. I have ALWAYS felt like I am primarily a people lover. Believe me, few people in my life or in society as a whole are anxious to “affirm” my identity. Everyone tries to convert me into being who I am not - an animal lover. Few people in my life or in society as a whole make any accommodations for me on the street, in stores, or anywhere else. Most people allow their animals to enter my personal space, sniff me, and otherwise demand attention - on walking trails, on the street, and in general social settings. I must exist alongside animals in most venues I encounter in my daily life - even family gatherings, public festivals, etc. Believe me, I experience private AND public censure for who I am. In this day of “Love wins” and “trans”-everything and accepting every individual for who they know in their hearts they truly are, there is still censure for many unchampioned people in our world. If you don’t believe this, be honest. What have YOU been thinking as you read this? How has your opinion of me changed?  

But there is also this: You know what?  I’m an adult. I understand that we all have our peculiarities and our own set of life circumstances. I don’t expect anyone else to make accommodations for me. I understand that my problems aren’t yours (or society’s) to solve. I have, and will continue to have, satisfying and successful relationships with many people who do not share this characteristic with me. I will not demand that everyone else be forbidden to walk their dogs in my vicinity or put their pets away when I visit. It is up to ME to monitor/limit  my contact with animals. It’s not your problem. I will not ridicule or exclude those who talk about their pets endlessly or occasionally put me in uncomfortable situations with their animals. That’s life. We are all different. I am tired of groups of people who want the entire world to accommodate their individual peculiarities. What a miserable existence we would endure if we were all the same!!