The Wisdom of Cats and Rainy Days

Reflection: #33

The rain came suddenly, heavily, falling in ponderous, percussive drops that fell as liquid bombs onto the stone patio, exploding into fluid, concentric shockwaves that mesmerized and delighted our eyes. Bella, our two year old Turkish Angora cat who possesses the soul of a kitten still, ran to the window. She tried watching each drop fall, and, as I followed her gaze, I too became interested and contemplative about the falling rain. It was one of those downpours that creates a static of soothing white noise. The kind of rain that makes you want to grab a good book and a glass of wine. Or, if during the day, simply to take a nap. Or maybe a book and a nap where the story in the book and the stories in your dreams swirl and morph into one another and you’re never quite sure if you’re completely awake or asleep. Surely you know of what I speak.

In a way, sitting there, with my cat, watching the heavy rain put me into a mild meditative trance. We simply watched the nature of the world without thought. Cats contain great wisdom in this way. My previous cat, Lily, taught me of wisdom and love. She was older, wise, and was like a Zen master who also happened to be our best friend. Lily had a way calm way of soothing my spirit, even when times were stressful. She seemed always to whisper relax, everything is ok.

Bella is different. Younger, full of fire, just out of kittenhood. She's nearly a solid black with hints of smoke color that shimmer in just the right light. She’s large and long and intimidating like a miniature panther, but doesn't yet realize it. She considers me her play buddy and demands of me several times a day that I assist her in working off that residual kitten energy. And yet, when the rain falls, or in her quieter moments, I see that she too, beneath her fading kittenhood, contains that same Zen-like wisdom inherent in all felines.

She regularly exhorts me to stop and watch squirrels with her. Or to run and play with abandon. Or to simply eat or sleep when the need calls. And, I find myself being thankful for the rain and for the cats that have taught me that there is more to life than the things I think are important. And that these simple things are actually the things that contain the most precious moments we ever live. So I wrote about it, so that I would remember, and you have just read that missive.

---