It's as simple as that - at least that's what Tony told me when I visited him last week in his digs downtown.
"Yeah," he continued, "I know it's a cliche and everything. But nothing does. In fact, nothing can.
"From this side of the fence, I've seen thousands of two-legs saunter past looking down their nose at me thinking they are 'all that' and a bag of chips.
"Let me tell you, they are nothing of the kind. I can see right through 'em."
He would know, while during the daytime tigers see as well as us 'two-legs' at night they can see six times better.
"You can tell me you don't want to do something anymore, and maybe that's a fact. But, it ain't going to be easy to give it up. That's where that old saying came from in the first place.
"Parents and school teachers parade those tasty two-legs through here with a la-di-da sermon dripping from their lips about how to do this and how to not do that... it's malarkey. One of those, 'do what I say not what I do' kind of deals."
I thought for a moment. He was right. I might want to think I can give up (insert item here), but when it comes right down to it, I probably can't do it for very long or without a lot of help. How many smokers really want to smoke? Not many, but quitting borders on the impossible for most.
Tony continued his lecture, the cooler weather made him a chatty-katty on this day, "Now, some things can be done away with or forgotten and that's a good thing. But, seriously now, I'm talking the big stuff here. The stuff way down in your gut that makes you tick, makes you - you.
"Think about the things that mean the most to you - the stuff you can't live without - wouldn't live without - that is really where the, to use another cliche, 'rubber meets the road.' And, that my two-leg, is a good thing. If you can change your coat every time the wind blows or the spirit moves you, then you are no good to nobody."
Then he turned, walked away to pace next to his reflection for a while before slipping into the deeper brush for a nap.
He gave me lots to think about, that's for sure. For one thing, other than that tiger on TV commercials, who knew tigers could cogitate so well?
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