Possum (Listen while you read)
Well, hi there..! How be you today, my good friend?
Would you like some company?
_____
Yes, this little creature loves company.
He generally behaves in a fashion that would suggest he likes his own company.
However, do not be fooled, dear friends. No, do not be fooled by his outward actions, for indeed this little fellow does not like to be alone.
There are many like this; are there not? Indeed, this is true.
There are many who (like the possum) prefer not to be alone, and yet they can be seen alone. Yes, this happens to many. They prefer company, and yet they keep to themselves.
And why do they keep to themselves?
This is an easy question to answer.
They keep to themselves because they are afraid.
And, of what are they afraid?
That is right, my dear friends. They are afraid that they will not be liked; and so they keep to themselves.
We all know someone like this; do we not?
Indeed.
Carolyn Page – ABC of Spirit Talk
November 08 2012
Image Credit: ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock.com
ABC of Spirit Talk with Carolyn Page 
love your posts!
Thank You, Caroline…. The feeling is mutual… 🙂
Profound and insightful as always!
Coming from you, my dear Aina; that is compliment, indeed…! xoxoxo
You are such an irreplaceable figure of inspiration here at WordPress, Carol! I’m so, so proud of you! 😊
And you, dear Aina, are too, too sweet…. xoxoxo
We found a possum in our yard one day. My girlfriend thought it was a rat. But when she described it to me I knew what it was. I never saw the fellow, but I did Google it and I learned that they live in like a commune. When I came home from work it turned out that the gardener caught him and moved him to a wooded area. That was the wrong thing to do because he would be shunned by another pack.
As you know I love reading your writing.
I love the little possum (or, opussum) who lives in The States… His little face is longer than our (Aussie) possums; what a gorgeous little creature he is..!
As you know, my lovely woman, I enjoy your visits (you generally bring a little story along with you, which I love) and your work (your writings) are always gems…! xoxoxo 🙂
yes, Carolyn, I do know people who keep to themselves because they are scared they’ll not be liked…interesting post…and cute creatures with a bushy, bushy tail:)
Yes, I know of one…. Me, long ago… I know all too well that feeling of ‘no one will like me’… Aggghh; awful… It is generally just a ‘perception’ however, one that can be all too crippling…
Yes, he’s a cutie for sure… 😉
I think most of us can relate to this feeling at one time in our lives. Great post Carolyn 🙂
Yes, LuAnn; it’s an all too common experience, unfortunately…!
One that so many of us can relate to…
Enjoy what is left of your day…! 🙂
Love this, Carolyn, and I haven’t seen one of these creatures either. I lived in Africa and they have spectacular wildlife, but possums don’t live in such parts. I didn’t know they lived in America.
The Opossum is the little critter who lives in America, Canada and South America; sometimes referred to as ‘Possum’. However, Yaz, the ‘Possum’ lives in Australia and other South Pacific areas. They are both marsupials (warm blooded creatures who carry their young within a ‘pouch’), which can give rise to a little confusion.
Captain John Smith named the American critter ‘Opossum’ in 1612. Captain Cook’s botanist, Sir Joseph Banks, originally named the Australian animal ‘Possum’, as he thought it resembled the Opossum. So although they are similar, they are not of the same order. Both terribly cute…!
I am now hoping I’ll be inspired to do a reflection for the Opossum. He is incredibly cute and sweet; deserving of a reflection; to be sure….
Are they shy little creatures?
Yes, they are terribly shy. However, I’ve known them to be tamed by offering them food. We have them where we live. They love ‘wooded’ areas, as they live in the hollow of trees. They are solitary little guys, and compete for their little homes. They also like to make their homes in house roofs, which is quite understandable as it is we who have taken away much of their natural shelter. When this happens it can be quite a problem to get them to move on….
They are nocturnal creatures and often we see them, or hear them at night…! Such lovely little things…. though, like all wild animals, they will defend themselves quite ardently when they feel under attack… This I also like about them… no mamby, pamby critter here; he is quite the ‘survivor’…! 😉
very teenager!
Yes Sharmishtha, very. I believe as teenagers (and young people) most are subject to these emotions; I know I certainly was. As I’ve gone through life (especially as I’ve ventured into new experiences) those energies/emotions have been there to greet me, too. When beginning to blog I felt a little uncomfortable and wondered if I’d be liked. It is a part of being human, I believe, to doubt ourselves; alas..!
However, as you say, it is the teenager (and younger person) who mostly suffer and want to isolate. As we gain more confidence we may still wonder if we will be liked, however we are more able (because of our greater experience through time) to allow ourselves these feelings without isolating. There is always the exception, of course.
my enemies helped me into realizing that we can rise far above these uncertainties, no matter what anyone else thinks of you, at the end, your conscience is the only mirror you should trust.
i was so much like possums of your post when i was growing up 🙂
How great! I never knew that about these little creatures.
They are gorgeous. Aren’t we so very lucky to share the world with such beauties…!?!
I know some possums… even myself once in a while.
I don’t believe we can be human, Resa, and ‘not’ suffer these feelings (will I be liked) at various times throughout our lives. The best we can do is acknowledge the feelings, and get on with doing whatever it is that has caused them. If we don’t, the next step is isolation. That can be a very difficult wall to walk through….
But then there are some people who don’t give a damn about what others think of them….Blessed souls….
I hear you and yet I believe unless they are psychopathic (and this renders them emotionless/uncaring and incapable of empathy) most will suffer these feelings. We all cope with life in various ways; some with ‘bravado’ that may evidence itself in the form of bullying or arrogance, which is generally a cover up for an insecure nature. Unless, of course, they are suffering the effects of drugs or bullying themselves, this then opens up a whole range of possibilities…
I believe if you cut deep enough there will be a reason why some act out in this way. It’s certainly not easy to deal with; however there is generally good reason.
It is difficult if we can’t avoid this type for whatever reason; be they family or work colleague, however, I’ve always found that if I can come to appreciate their life circumstances, this, at least, allows me to understand them a little better. They are though, difficult personalities.
Yeah,difficult personalities…I agree!
Yes indeed, we all do. Those possums are too cute. We don’t get them here.
Yes that’s right, Susan; these little guys are not to be found in South Africa. And, right again; they are too cute…! 😉
I keep to myself because I like the company 😀
Ha hah, Glen. Now that’s a different reflection altogether…! 😉
Pass me another mirror 😀
Haha! This is so true!
Yes, Cristine, simple and true…. 😉
Oh, yes! We certainly do!
Indeed; a little part of being human…!
Oh indeed! I sometimes fear to mix with the crowd because I’m afraid to be rejected…
Not a nice thing to experience, Daph, and yet it is comforting to know that it is a natural aspect of being human…! Knowing that seems to ‘lighten the load’…!
So true. That’s why I always come here to ABC Of Possum Talk, because I know I’ll always be liked, even when I fall out of the tree and land on my head! : )
Mark, that is one of the reasons why you are so liked….!
We all seem to enjoy laughing at the misfortunes of others; such as when they fall out of their tree…! 🙂 This seems to be another aspect of being human.
Are we not a strange creature…!?! 😉
Good weekend.
Greeting Wolfgang
And to you, friend; a good weekend…. 😉
Cute, cute post!
Yes, very sweet…. dear Hook…!
Love this cute post, Carolyn
Thank You, Stefan… I’m happy that you do…!
Enjoy your weekend, my friend… 🙂
How sweet they look. I enjoyed learning so much more than I know. Thank you!
Yes, they are very sweet….! Learning is such a wonderful experience, and your blog is full of ‘new learnings’…
Thank You for dropping by… 🙂
Love the metaphor you’ve established here…greatly enjoyed the reading 🙂
Thank You so much… 🙂
poor possum! I like your metaphors too!
Symbology/metaphors do have a way of reaching deeper than does a blatant statement; like those mentioned in the story of Carolyn de veer…. 🙂
I haven’t forgotten, Rose… I owe you one..!
Have a great Sunday… 🙂
“They are afraid that they will not be liked”
And when I encounter them in my garage, they’re usually correct.
Smak, this little fellow wouldn’t be encountered in your garage; he is one of the Australian (South Pacific) Possums. The little critter you’d be encountering is probably the Opussum, which is a different critter altogether. They are both marsupials, however the Opussum (named by Captain Smith in 1612) is found in The States, Canada and South America. The Possum (named by Captain Cook’s botanist Sir Joseph Banks (because of its resemblance to the Opossum)) is a different order of critter; both incredibly cute looking…! 😉
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum
I’ve come to appreciate the name ‘Opossum’ has been shortened by most folk in The States to ‘Possum’, creating a little confusion…
Hopefully I’ll get to do a reflection for the little Opossum soon. I’d love to do that to see what difference there is between them in nature.
I knew that the critters were different, but I didn’t realize that an opossum (which we often call possums) was different than a possum.
In a similar but completely unrelated vein, a similar issue exists with the ferret. There is a wild animal called a ferret that is related to the domestic animal known as a ferret, but that’s as far as the link goes.
And yeah, I’m curious about that reflection, too!
Went a’googling about the ferret… seems you’re right..!
Steppe Polecat/European Polecat/Black Footed Ferret/Ferret seem to have a common ancestry… There is certainly a similarity of body, and yet (like the Opossum/Possum) there are marked differences too… Thanks for the alert…! 🙂
how come you have not written anything new????
Haven’t been inspired to as yet, Sharmishtha; though I do have a few requests to do. I’ll get to one of them hopefully tomorrow, Monday…! 😉
This is a lovely metaphor — and I didn’t know that about ‘possum’ and ‘opossum’ which we have here in Canada.
Yes, Louise, fascinating little creatures and quite different in their personality make-up…!
I wasn’t aware they lived as far north as Canada… Always learning… always learning.. 😉
Inspiring,true feelings.Thank you for liking “forgiveness”.Wishing a wonderful holiday season.jalal
And to you, Jalal, a wonderful festive season… 🙂