Mary, I do have a few differing sides to my personality and the Docs are still trying to figure out how and when each one emerges.....the meds don't seem to help.

I really value this thread too Rita. It has all the personality characteristics we all share and hate to admit. The reality of being Homo sapiens is that we are 98% alike and yet focus on the 2% which make us different....something that is not true in other species. It's the reason we have so many sexual problems that don't seem to plague dogs or horses......mules are probably a little screwed up.

It is inevitable that social problems are going to occur because we all share the herd instinct and yet the thinking part of us wants to be one big, happy family....at least some of the time. So one person is offended, another is not, another doesn't notice. It's all a part of the game and no engineering on our part will fix everyone in each instance. The FSGW and 'Catter mix is doing quite well and with increased numbers the likelihood of negative as well as positive interaction between groups and individuals will increase. We can all be aware of the problem and that by itself should be enough. Trying to work in other plans to force better relations are foredoomed to failure.

We have all had the experience of introducing one friend ot another and trying to get a friendship going between them......and it don't work now do it? Sometimes the magic is there and sometimes it's not. I think the Getaway is a wonderful example of perhaps the best we can expect and to try to throw in things to force unity is a wasted and possibly dangerous effort. Y'all are doing well....everyone......a few will be less that happy....let it alone. I can see the Getaway only becoming better as more people from both groups see each other more often.

However, and with all of that in mind, sharing an anniversary could and would work with the FSGW folks as long as each "group" was aware of a couple of things. For 'Catters it would be important to try to be as thanking and friendly to the FSGW'ers as possible and other things to be less 'Catter elitist, or whatever. The FSGW people will have to allow that a 10 year WorldWide Gathering would probably make that ONE Getaway a little different that others and not to expect the same things. By that point too, there should be a history of decent relations on a smaller scale like this year. If we could all simply agree to that and not allow hurt feelings to get in the way on this one occasion, it'd be great!

Can that happen? I'm skeptical but hopeful based on what I read here.......Could work. Could be a disaster. One way or another, a lot of things like that would have to be implicit.

Just an opinion......again........

Spaw