I have a cat named Shadow, who is pretty fantastic. Shadow is a tuxedo tabby, grey and white, with deep golden eyes, and the most exciting tail you’ve ever seen. (It vibrates when he’s really happy or interested in something!) Although all cats are best cat, Shadow views life through a lens from which we might consider examining our circumstances. For Shadow, hope springs eternal. Every time a can opens, it might be tuna fish. With each breakfast plate placed on the table, a chance for delicious buttery toast. (He REALLY likes butter.)
Shadow isn’t content with me simply telling him I’m opening a can of diced tomatoes. He continues to meow and try to look on the counter until I allow him to inspect the can. He knows immediately there is a distinct lack of tuna smell, and hence, no tuna. Then he walks off.
It got me thinking. Shadow doesn’t take what I say as fact. However, humans often listen to what other humans say and accept it as “Truth,” whether there’s any factual basis to what’s being said or not. Even worse, we might act on our own thoughts as facts when we don’t necessarily have sufficient evidence to make an informed decision. What I’m saying is maybe we need to smell the can first and then decide for ourselves.
Shadow is an expert on self-care. When he is tired, he sleeps. When he is hungry, he eats. When he is scared or uncertain, he looks for comfort. He actively seeks me out to meet his needs for physical touch and attention. He enjoys playing with a variety of toys, and sometimes discovers something novel to entertain himself. How often do we allow ourselves to have a random moment of fun? How well are we taking care of ourselves?
The takeaway here is we could do with a little more time and attention to our own needs, and it’s important that when those needs involve others, we openly and actively reach out to them to let them know. After all, we can’t read each other’s minds (and if you really think about it, you probably wouldn’t want to, anyway).
I know Shadow doesn’t have a job to stress him out, though he is sensitive to my moods and emotions. Many a time have I paced around the house (especially during graduate school) unaware of how much restless, nervous energy I was experiencing. I suddenly found my ankles nipped. He wanted me to settle down. His method of “encouraging” me to check-in with myself resulted in increased awareness of my emotional states. Periodically throughout the day, we can ask ourselves what are we feeling, and connect those feelings to our thoughts and what’s happening around us.
So, am I telling you to get a cat? No, but I’m not *not* telling you to get a cat. (Cats are pretty great, but my bias is clearly showing.) My hope is that regardless of whether you have the experience of being a cat owner, sharing what I’ve learned from my cat might be of some help to you and get you thinking more about taking time to care for yourself. Sometimes we could all use just a minute or two to put down the “to do” list, slow down, sit in a sunbeam, and soak up the day.
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