Vetnews | September 2024 4 « BACK TO CONTENTS Dear all. I hope that the last revenge of winter did not disrupt you too much. This was the prediction for Hoedspruit for the last week of August: Wednesday Minimum 17 and Maximum 37; Thursday minimum 13, maximum 16; Friday minimum 13, maximum 14; Saturday minimum 12, maximum 20; Sunday minimum 10, maximum 24; Monday minimum 17 and maximum 27; and then people say we never have winter in Hoedspruit. I suspect there will be a distinct mothball aroma over the area towards the end of the week. I follow a psychologist on Facebook (do I detect some rolling eyes) Naomi Holdt. She writes a lot about education and raising children, and I find her credible as she is also a mom and what she says carries some weight for me. In one of her blogs, she says the following: “No matter what behaviour you witness, or what gets said, or done, before you leap in with assumptions, judgement and punishment, bring this phrase to mind: ‘‘I wonder why’. These words have the power to turn judgment into compassion and empathy. The thing to remember about all human behaviour, including everything happening in classrooms, is that there is always another story. There is always another side. Compassion. Have you ever considered being compassionate towards yourself? Selfcompassion is the practice of being kind and understanding towards yourself. Simple as it seems, many people neglect to extend the same compassion and understanding to themselves as they do to other people. It’s especially important to be compassionate towards yourself in difficult times, during periods of stress or unfortunate circumstances, or in situations where we fail or feel inadequate.If something negative happens or you don’t do as well in something as you’d hoped, selfcompassion can be an invaluable tool to help you through it. It means showing yourself the same warmth, understanding and compassion that you would to anyone else in similar circumstances. Ask: “I wonder why” when other people don’t behave well, but also when you do not. Admitting that your behaviour was out of character, is the first introspective step to healing. In the September edition, we pay tribute to Dr Chetty who passed a while ago, we also look into the outbreak of rabies in Cape Fur seals and a couple of other interesting rabies-related articles. There is a short piece written by myself, please find it and respond to me by mail, I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic August is considered the last official month of Winter and September is often seen as Spring Month. I hope that the first of September was not winter’s last revenge day of cold. Enjoy the promise of warmer weather on its way. The Editor v From the Editor Editor’s notes / Redakteurs notas ‘Nine times out of ten the story behind the misbehaviour won’t make you angry, it will break your heart’~ Annette Breaux“.
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