The Puff of the Puffer

The Puffer Fish....












I've been thinking about this fish lately.
          Or maybe just how we can become "puffed up".

And maybe like the puffer fish it is a defensive reaction.

We want to look tough, smart....to relate to the fish, we don't want to be gobbled up by another.

But sometimes we just need to be who we are in that moment.
The person that doesn't have all the knowledge. The person that needs to learn even.
A person that is open to instruction, correction, and dare I say failure.

Maybe that is at the core of our "puff"...the protection from failure.

But sometimes it might be to protect ourselves or someone else around us.

As a parent, I know that my "spikes" come out when I feel that my child needs protection. I am even finding that those parental spikes come out with my students (even my college ones)!

Fairness. A good fighting chance to prove themselves. Seeing the potential through the roughness/imperfections. Letting go and letting them make mistakes.

Hard to let anyone mess with a face like this...

But sometimes....

It simply is about protection!