perception

once again, i have been a bit remiss.  i shan't apologize for being absent for a while, as i have been about my business, taking care of myself and getting done what i've needed to get done.  i shall apologize if you have felt neglected -- for that, of course, is not my intention.  i ask for your understanding.  and, hey, there's something to be noted here.  to you, it appeared perhaps that i had forgotten about you.  the reality is that i have been busy.  it's that simple.  and yet the situation is also that complex.

so often we interpret things solely from our own understanding, without even considering other possibilities.  and, taken even further, our understanding is usually colored with actual MIS-understanding.  my friend won't respond to my pleas to throw the little mouse toy - and from my (mis)understanding, it's because she is mad at me or i did something to annoy her or she doesn't like me anymore or on & on & on.  when in fact, she's on the phone, in the middle of ground-breaking discoveries, asleep or on & on & on.  nothing at all to do with me.  now that can be frustrating and somewhat offensive -- WHAT??? you're NOT thinking about ME????  well, yes, in fact - this situation really has nothing to do with me.  dang it.  and it's a relief as well.  whew -- it has nothing to do with me.

make sense??

seeing a bigger picture.  but it's beyond that - considering a picture, a reality, that encompasses the unknown.  in a way, it gives you a nicer picture.  next time you are wont to assume the worst, try assuming the best -- just for fun.  i mean, really -- which is more fun -- deciding something didn't happen the way you wanted because a) you made a mess of it; or b) something better's taking its place.  they're both just assumptions, possibilities -- so why not choose the one that makes you smile?

that's what i think, anyway.  

life's short -- even with nine of 'em.  

choose the path that makes the journey more enjoyable.  you'll have a better time -- and probably, just probably, your trip will be loaded with good stuff!

later -

zulu

rest. play. pov.

sorry it's been so long since i've added an entry. or entered an addition. whichever way you choose. life's been full. for me, full of rest. full of play. full of exploration and finding newness in the familiar. same for you? i hope so -- and shall i say, i certainly expect so. if not, well, then, you've got some re-adjusting to do if you're going for the win.

i do love to curl up in a cozy spot. if the sun's available, then i take it up on its offer of delicious warmth. nothing like a good nap. or even just a snoozy rest. meditation. stillness. yes. let your mind wander. wherever it wants to go. there's a feeling of safety and security. calm. but don't you dare call me lazy. this is the opposite of laziness. i am recharging, laying the groundwork of creation and of action, reconnecting to and with my Self (ooh - note the capital 's') and with Energy (again note the capital). important stuff that. the most important stuff.

on to play. lots of play! in all its forms. me? i had a great time the other day chasing a paper ball around. simple stuff is sometimes the most fun. i also engaged in some serious shall we say "cat and mouse" activity involving a knitting needle and a blanket. again, simplicity. try it out. just for fun. i do enjoy making my own fun. and sometimes i ask for help in having fun. i know that sounds crazy -- needing help to have fun. but i suspect a lot of you reading this know exactly what i'm talking about -- and find yourselves in need. granted, it isn't due to your lack of opposable thumbs - lucky. but sometimes we forget what it is to have fun - how to do it. how often. (with regularity is the answer to that one.) be a fun-seeker. engage others in your quest for fun. let them help you have fun. another win-win for the win.

exploration and finding newness in the familiar. sometimes i amaze even my feline self -- even though i live in a relatively confined environment, i still am capable of exploring and discovering. i'm a regular lewis or clark -- finding new paths to undiscovered countries within the four rooms of my dwelling place. in all earnestness, yeah, i probably am familiar with every square inch of this place. and yet, i still can find surprise and excitement within those square inches. sometimes it's simply a matter of changing perspective. that same old thing looks different when i'm up above it looking down. when life feels dull, stale, at a standstill -- i like to get up high. literally. get up on top of the bookshelves or the cabinets or the refrigerator or even on someone's shoulder -- and look down. look at things differently. it changes everything. even if only for a little while. it's enough to make a difference. sometimes it really is just about changing your point of view.

rest. play. point of view.

the good life.

time for me to jump up in the closet, then chase a dust bunny and find a soft spot to curl up in. ah - a full and perfect day.

later -
zulu

entitlement - own it

i have this new habit. "behavior". when i need some lovin', i cry a little -- just enough to get their attention. then when they come over to pet me, i stretch up and crawl up their outstretched arm and sweetly perch myself on their shoulder. usually the left one. no particular reason why it's the left, it's just how it happens to end up. anyway, i love it. i'm up high, looking at life from a new perspective, they're holding me, i'm purring, they're making whatever sounds of contentment they choose to utter, and life is very, very good. i get what i want. and apparently, the arrangement is not too shabby for them either. it's a veritable win-win. and my initial concern, my sole primary intention was my own want. nice how that works out.

i feel entitled to that.

entitlement gets a bad rap these days. i guess there are different degrees of it. to some, entitlement connotes a sense of greed, of selfishness. of expecting to get rewards when you have done nothing to "deserve" them. getting the benefits without working for them.

believing that one is deserving of certain privileges. that's according to webster's. i mean, if i can write a blog, i certainly can look up words online. don't be so surprised.

so maybe it's really a case of what privileges we're talking about here. maybe that's where the conundrum lies surrounding this idea of entitlement. i believe that it is okay to feel entitled. and these are some of the privileges i most certainly deserve: to believe, know, understand that i am loved. that i am wanted and that i will be taken care of. that there is room for me. AND i feel i am entitled to these privileges by the mere fact that here i am! oh yes i am.

and so i will continue to ask for what i deserve. and if someone can't or doesn't want to give me what i want, they will let me know. they are entitled to do that. it doesn't mean i don't deserve it or that i'm not entitled to it -- it just means that they are unable/unwilling to give it to me for whatever reason they may have. so i go to the next one and meow at their feet.

so feel entitled. you do deserve privileges. the privileges that come with being here. and you'll be surprised how many out there want to support you in getting what you want. that's the beauty of it! it really is win-win. funny how when we get what we're really entitled to, we simultaneously give it.

you are entitled to happiness. to sadness. to having all your feelings. you are entitled to your place in the world. and yeah, do your part. but that's not as dire as it may sound. it's all in the showing up. the believing. the noticing. the asking. again, it's in the simple things. because those are the privileges really worth having. not the ones we get bogged down in -- the having-more-than, the being-more-than.

of course, you start by giving it to yourself. by believing that you DO deserve it. simply by being.

you are the stuff of stars. believe it. you are entitled to shine. it's your birthright.

meow -- ftw!
-zulu