prayers for our pets

the worst friend of the blog is the critic. unfortunately, ballin' in dalian is no stranger to these types. if i had truly opened my ears to their cutting words, taken in the pain of their literal and figurative jabs, i would have shut down this blog long ago. yet, ballin' in dalian, with its simple ambitions, lives on; read by few but loved by many.

one minor criticism i have come across is that this blog is "too niche" and that no one knows what i'm talking about. i say minor, but if i had any real plans to do anything with this blog, i would probably say that this is actually a major problem. i feel like the english language is missing a word that means to care and not care at the same time.

however, today i have succeeded in finding a blog that is even more niche than mine. it is called Prayers for Our Pets. Between 2009 and 2013, this blogger has cranked out approximately 2,700 posts, each with a different prayer to heal Mr. Fluffers the Cat, Freckles the Dog, or whatever other pet that needs some help. i don't know who or how many people are reaching out to this blogger, but this seems like an enormous undertaking trying to save all of the world's pets.

continuing to use blogger's "next blog" feature, i came across another religious-oriented blog, whose author was thinking about some recently deceased friends, and reminds her readers that:

"Sometimes we believers forget that, just as God has plans for our life,has pre-planned our death. Neither we, nor Death, gets to choose the time, place, and means for our dying. Our death scenario was chosen with God’s purpose and our obedience in mind." 

if what this blogger is saying is true, that everything in our lives has already been mapped out, and we must all follow along like little marching ants, she better let Prayers for Our Pets know that he/she can sit back and relax--not even the strongest incantation is going to save T-Willie the Dog, or Little Bear Deformed Legs the Cat.

in short, even if no one knows what you are talking about, you still might be making the most sense out of everybody.