The new cat bed..with Ben inside
When we returned home from Mexico, I unpacked my small suitcase and stuck it on top of the dresser. I had planned on putting it away (but am never very fast about that kind of stuff) and the next thing I knew, Ben had found his new favorite place to sleep.
Each time I looked at it, I would think, “I need to put that suitcase away and clean off all the cat hair, dirt and assorted other unidentifiable things, before it is ruined” (since in addition to sleeping in it, this became Ben’s chosen place to “clean up” after a rough night outside roaming the hills).
The furry, dirty suitcase was not bothering Ben but it seemed like it was saying to me, “You are an unorganized and undisciplined person Mary and here is the evidence.” I know enough not to keep something in front of me that makes me feel bad, and yet the only option seemed to be to clean it up and put it away….like that was the “responsible” thing to do… after all, a suitcase is for travel and was not made for cats to sleep in. But who makes these rules, that I think I should follow, and feel bad about when I don’t?
I grabbed an old silk scarf, draped it over the suitcase and now I’m short one suitcase (which I only used, at most, once a year) and Ben has gained a permanent napping spot… and we are both delighted about it!
Trust that little voice in your head that says “Wouldn’t it be interesting if…” And then do it. ~Duane Michals (American Photographer)
(a funny little aside here…I always read my posts to Jack before they go out into the world, and when I read him this quote, he said, “I know Duane quite well…he visits my store almost every Sunday during the summer months!”)
Weekend Challenge (for all who choose to take it!): Think about one area of your life that has been troubling you (that you have labeled as “wrong”) and ask your Higher Self to see it through new eyes….ask to see the good in it, that you may have missed in your rush to get it “cleaned up”.
