This morning I woke up thinking about Jasper.
Jasper is our neighbors’ cat. Until yesterday, I didn’t know our neighbors had a cat. But as I returned home late in the evening, two of the family’s humans were wandering the sidewalks, clearly in search of something or someone.
“Did your dog get out?” I asked. “No, the cat. He’s black and sleek – he looks like a small panther. His name is Jasper. He’s an indoor cat. He could be hiding anywhere.”
We all knew it would be impossible to see him once the sun set. They seemed worried, mildly distressed, but not totally panicked. Calmly walking, looking in dark corners. I went to my own back yard, thinking he might have climbed the fence. (And I didn’t know what awful(loud)ness would happen if our dog Lucy caught sight of him.)
As I was standing on our deck, I heard one of Jasper’s people say, “Oh. There he is.” And there Jasper was, himself not the least bit distressed, exploring another neighbor’s yard. He let his person enter the yard, walk right up to him, and pick him up go to home. I imagined he was thinking, “Well, I guess my adventure is done. I was getting hungry, anyway.”
In my morning musings, I thought about the times when I’m like Jasper – wandering off in my own little world, oblivious to the impact on those who care about me, confident they’ll be there when I’m ready to re-join them.
And I thought about the times when I’m like Jasper’s people – distinctly tuned in to my loved one’s behavior, letting my imagination run wild about the potentially distressing outcomes, knowing I probably need to let them take their own risks, not knowing whether in the end it’ll all be just fine.
Things don’t always turn out just fine, of course. But my hope is that, more often than not, they do. And I hope there’s enough wonder (even with the occasional worry) to keep it interesting.
With love,
Paige
2 Comments
Sandy Farley
What a wonderful example of being present and finding learnings in the simplest of places. Thank you!
Kay Armstrong Baker
Paige,
We are grandparents to our grand-cat, Galaxy, Jason’s cat. He’ sa big, long, black panther. He’s laid back, an in-door cat and stays with us when Jason is out of town. We would be frantic if he would get out. Although cats are supposedly territorial, he comes to our house, quickly settles in and enjoys its big open spaces and four sets of stairs to run up and down on. All that’s essential is his next meal, regardless of who feeds him.
Galaxy is a lesson in accepting the present and being in the now. I so wish I could be more like him when I’m all caught up in worry, “what-ifs”, and can’t sleep! Thanks, Paige for your Monday morning thought for the day.
Kay
Cats all have different personalities but it seems as though the black ones teach us a lesson