Me, painting a cat
Sleek sky of cobalt blue;
Water like nectar satisfies deeply,
Air sweeter than the best perfume;
Sunlight warms a grateful cat.
It is hard to believe life is all for naught. Can’t we take happiness when it comes?
There is admittedly a great deal of suffering and horror in this world. But if we are to accept life’s sad parts, we must also embrace its good parts. As long as we are in this world, we must accept it all. If what comes our way is occasionally wonderful, no one should deny our enjoyment. We all know that every rise is followed by a fall. Why dwell only on dread of the future? As long as we have behaved responsibly, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the best of what life has to offer.
Look at a cat as she stretches out contentedly in the sun. There is no thought of the next moment, only the sheer enjoyment of the present. Rest assured that she will still be able to clean herself, still be able to catch mice, and still be able to do all the things that a cat must do. But she is without anxieties, and so she is purely and totally who she should be. She acts as if she were nature’s favorite. And who is to say otherwise?
“Enjoyment and the contemplation of our inner activities are incompatible. You cannot hope and also think about hoping at the same moment. Of course, the two activities can and do alternate with great rapidity, but they are distinct and incompatible. . . The surest way of spoiling a pleasure is to start examining your satisfaction. . . Nearly everything that was going on a moment before is stopped by the very act of our turning to look at it.” — C.S. Lewis
Well, San Diego is gorgeous in sunshine this afternoon. My poor kittyWillis has not had an enjoyable week, with the trip to kitty hospital for his urinary blockage. But he certainly is grateful – he’s been nuzzling up to us for head scritchies like mad in spite of his pain. But not allowed out to enjoy the sunshine as yet. My girl cat has just been hissing at him since he got home, so she’s not all that happy either, but she’s currently out and about in the garden.
We could all do with some sunshine to lie about and enjoy!
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