Rainy Tuesday

Two weeks ago I was in New York City celebrating my birthday.  It was sunny and warm, so much so, that I kept changing into my t-shirt and shorts & feeling like summer had arrived.  Now, it's rainy and cold, I have a sore throat and just learned of 3 deaths---2 horses and Bill Remley, the founder of Walnut Hill. 

My mood has changed.  Two weeks ago it was light and lively.  Today, dark and dreary.  And so it goes.  Buddhists say life is like passing clouds:  they come and go.  Good times and bad.  We cling to the good and push away the bad.  But we must receive all.  The highs and lows.  The smiles and tears.  The light and dark.  Life and death.

Yet, as human beings, we yearn for safety and security, harmony and balance.  With the fast-paced life everyone seems intent on leading and the horrific headlines that imprint practically every newspaper still fortunate enough to be in print, it's no wonder we feel shaky. And often depressed.

Our souls need to feel firmly rooted, our psyches need love. We are all fragile beings in search of family, friends & peace.  Yet how many of us have a daily dose of all these necessities? To have and to hold, each and every day?  To feel love and loved by?  To hang with and feel our authentic selves?  To just BE.

As I write this, I am surrounded by furry felines.  Relaxed and responsive.  Ready to move when I do.  Ready to love and be loved.  Ready to engage and respond.  Ready.  Willing.  And able.  They are my lifeline and my true north.  They are with me when the sun rises and by my side as the moon glows.  Forever loyal, always true.  My anchors, my loves, my shining stars, my gurus.

What would people do without their pets?  I, for one, would be much less happy and healthy.
Much more despondent.  Much less hopeful or joyful or confident.  My life would be much more frazzled and fuzzy.  Insecure and worrisome.  My kits and Sweetie Sue provide so much life and love that it's unimaginable to see myself living without them.  

So when it rains, and I'm in bed with a sore throat and grief over 3 recent losses, I look around and see passing clouds in the shapes of cats and dogs--floating over my house, past my windows and know that everything is impermanent and fleeting.  But for this moment, at this time, in this space, I reach out and stroke my kitties and feel safe. 

We are all passengers on floating clouds. . .