This afternoon I reined in The Pony to assist in the registration for his upcoming ACT test. He's in 10th grade now, and ready to dip his dainty hoof into the pool of higher education yardsticks. As a first-time test-taker, The Pony had to fill out an interest inventory comprised of 72 questions. Most of them I could have guessed. But since it IS all about The Pony, I handed him the mouse. "Fill this in. You have to tell if these are activities you would enjoy doing. The options are "Like," or "Indifferent," or "Dislike."
I watched as he galloped through them at a fast clip. Every now and then he would snort, "No!" Or bob his head and give a chuckle. Imagine my shock when he breezed right past a question silently, checking "Indifferent" without a second thought.
"That is so disturbing!"
"What?"
"I saw that. Where you clicked "Indifferent." The Pony scrolled back up the list.
"Oh. THIS one? 'Help rescue someone in danger?' I was just being truthful."
The same thing happened on 'Help people during emergencies.' "Indifferent." Without pause. And on 'Repair damage to a tree after a storm,' he clicked "Dislike."
"I see how it is. You don't care about helping people in danger or during emergencies, but you REALLY don't want to help the environment."
"What? How am I going to fix a tree? I can't put it back in the ground."
I'm thinking that The Pony is just not a people person. Or a dendrophile.
How would you "repair" a tree? I mean, you can cut up the fallen branches, or cut off the limbs that are hanging by shreds of wood pulp, but "repair" a tree?
ReplyDeleteI think The Pony is smarter than your average horse. He seems even more brilliant than Mr. Ed...
How dare The Pony be honest on this test!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Sioux. Smart. Plus Honest. At least you know where you stand with him if fall in a sink hole (sorry about the mixed metaphors).
ReplyDeleteSioux,
ReplyDeleteAny self-respecting dendrophile would know that you can repair a tree by tying its split halves back together and waiting for nature to take its course. The Pony might be smarter than Mr. Ed, but he can't hold a candle to My Mother the Car.
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Stephen,
My point exactly! I should have recognized his inclinations when he showed his indifference towards helping up that old lady who slipped in the Walmart deli section.
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Linda,
I shan't be falling in a sinkhole unless Hick carries me there by the tail and slings me in. While I'm trying to bite him, of course.