cats have such incredible inner grace...

i never expect cats like misty or olivia to do very well around here. too busy, too crowded..too utterly foreign to what they are used to. it would be like taking someone from a small village where everyone knew everyone and life was peacefully predictable and sticking them without warning into the NYC subway system.... without a map and without the ability to read the signs with the all of the rules attached....and becoming emotionally bruised and overwhelmed while being thoughtlessly jostled and pushed around.

pretty freaking scary.

but cats are better at some things then people... like having their worlds turned upside down, and having every single familiar person and thing just vanish into thin air.

i cannot even imagine how hard that must be or how i would feel inside.
but i know one thing for sure, i would not be able to cope with the the dignity and grace that these two sweet cats have displayed.

misty is venturing out..mostly to find me or renee and see what we are up to now. yesterday she made it as far as the kitchen to just look around. she follows me into the bathroom to see what i am doing in there and she waits for me to wander back in the cat rooms so she can jump to her feet, rub up against me and tell me she is glad i am here.

this is not a testamonial to saints and how we do things around here....it is a testamonial to these wonderful creatures who forgive the human species for messing up their lives over and over again.

the strength and the willingness of misty to find her way in this brand new world is humbling...that is true bravery...that is real heart....it requires so much true character and emotional stamina.

and then there is olivia...a siamese no less. i always freak out when that cat breed gets in here...the siamese are highly emotional cats. she has done so incredibly well in the medical room. she comes running whenever we appear, she loves to be held and carried around..she believes humans to be something precious and dear. olivia shares her bed with any.....she is just one of those all around sweet, sharing and loving cats.

it is so much easier to get continually screwed by life and cave into depression or rage....we humans do it all the time...shit...sometimes we do it for our entire lifetimes...and sometimes we never learn....that happiness comes from inside us not from something external. we make the choice on how we will feel each and every day. we decide how hurt we are and how many others are to blame. we decide to be petty and pissed or play the poor victim of an unfair and difficult life....we decide and make our choice...just like the animals do.

but animals will always try to find the balance in the things that they are forced to live thru. it is hard and it hurts them but they have a courage and a resilience inside them and they do not blame...they just hunker down and try to stay small til they figure out the best way.

and then one day..they raise their heads and they take that first and second and then the third step to live in their new and strange world...they greet the ones they meet along the way with an open mind and heart.

and before you know it.....they are living again.

olivia and misty...you are truly incredibly strong and gracious cats....the whole human race could learn a few lessons from you...like how to survive life with the spirit and soul of a very forgiving cat and how to find some happiness no matter where you end up.