Monday, May 7, 2012

The Benji Effects (Same Dog: Different Fleas?)

There once was a funky dog named Benji. I hated that dog not because he was a dirty, good for nuthin' mutt, but he was the antithesis of all things foul. He lived at a home that I loathed: It smelled all-the-be-damned, and the occupants were criminals from the mother all the way down to the youngest child. Visits always comprised of me drinking beer, and watching my purse. And then there was Benji. Tiny little runt. He had some sort of skin condition that looked like it itched something terrible. I didn't want him around me, and just seeing him searching for new places to lie his nasty head pissed me off. Little mofo tried lying on my new woolen coat. You know I wasn't having none of that!

The mother of this troop owned a small house in which most of her grown offspring lived. They scraped up enough money to buy beer and not much else. They allowed not only Benji to live in the house, but other full-grown dogs and a cat. As they were allowed to pee and shit on the carpets, these lazy occupants wouldn't lift a finger to clean up. I remember stepping over a turd on the stairs leading to the basement. Yes, I said a turd! Looked like it had been there for some time as it was all dried up and shriveled. So, needless to say, it stunk to high heaven!

One day, the mother decided it was time to change out the carpet, and she insisted that the animals would NEVER be allowed to re-enter the room. A new carpet immediately eliminated the odors, and it was pleasant to sit without seeing that nasty dog lying around funkin' up the place. I chuckled as I watched the household scoot them out of the room. Well, it was good while it lasted. The first dog to re-enter the living room was (guess who): Benji. Slowly but surely, every dog (and even the cat), made their way back to their original spot that they had occupied before the carpet was replaced. The crime family had slipped back into their old ways of allowing those filthy animals to lie around. Like Benji, the odors crept back in. I was disgusted that things were going back to the way they had been.

The Benji Effects is any situation in which you or others start out with the best intentions, but end up in the same mess (or even worse). Sometimes we know from jumpstreet it ain't gonna work out the way we planned, and that we're going to backslide. It's a constant restarting of a bad behavior. Allowing dysfunction to ease back into the places it found comfortable. It's been 26 years since I've seen this dog, and I still can't stand him! Well, at least the beer was good!


rainwriter jones @ 2 a.m.

2 comments:

  1. Ah, the early morning thoughts. Aren't they grand?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Alli. They seem to creep in like Benji: A slow, stewing funk! (LOL)

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