take care of your poo

and now for something completely different.

well, not really -- it's all connected.  today, we're gonna talk about our selves.  which we've been doing, i know. but really, today, it's all about our Selfs.  and taking care of our Selfs. 

know what i mean?

it's back to basics. keep your Self clean.  

this self-cleaning thing we cats do -- i know it can be a little mysterious and even a little gross at times.  but really, it is an auspicious thing. okay, maybe not the butt-licking -- hard to call that "auspicious".  and yet, if you think about it (not too hard, and maybe not in too much sensory detail), it is a pretty cool thing we do.  we can take care of our selfs.  totes.

now i'm not suggesting that you toss your soap in exchange for your tongue - that's just nasty. well, for you anyway.  i'm just saying -- you keep your Self clean. there's a lot out there to muddy us up.  cloudy our thoughts.  our bodies.  our Selfs.  we need to take the time every day to clean out the muckity muck.  i mean, think about it -- if i didn't bathe myself every day, pretty soon i'd be tough to recognize.  my gorgeous (if i do say so myself) fur would be matted, dull, drab.  i wouldn't be able to function as i usually do, what with stuff between my toes and gunk in my whiskers.  and, i daresay, i would smell (perish the thought).  i would not be me.  my self would be lost in the dirt and stank.  who i am would be buried beneath, well, the shit i am carrying around.  the stuff, the garbage, the baggage we carry around -- that we saddle our Selfs with -- it conceals who we really, REALLY are.  it keeps our true Selfs shrouded in poo.

and how sad is that.  when all it takes is a good cleaning.  regular cleanings, actually.  i mean, the more often i clean myself during the day, the less time it takes to un-muddy my self.  a clue -- take a little time often thru-out the day to un-muddy your Self.  check in with your Self -- are you shrouded in poo thoughts?  clean 'em up and get your fine Self out into the world.  there's work to do.  heights to scale.  games to play.  sunbeams to seek out. 

yes, tend to your poo.  that's another thing we cats do really really well.  am i right?  we don't try to hide it -- that's not what we're doing.  we're recognizing it, paying attention to it, and dealing with it. dealing with the smells.  am i getting too graphic in my metaphorical illuminations?

i'm just saying - keep your Self clean.  and do it often.  

your Self and the world will thank you for it.  not to mention it will make life a whole lot more pleasant.

scaling the familiar

scaling new heights.  seeing new sights.  exploration.

lately i'm kinda considering myself the lewis and clark of cats.  well, i guess that would really be lewis OR clark. either one. you see,  i've got the bug to survey, investigate, even reconnoiter.

i'm of course surrounded by the familiar.  nothing new -- no new pieces of furniture, no new inhabitants, no new toys.  same old, same old.  but not.  not at all.

suddenly i find myself looking at things anew.  with a different eye, i guess.

that coat rack, for example.  up to now, it's served as good a thing as any to rub up against, maybe swat a toy under.  but one day, i take a look at it - step back, see it completely differently.  now it holds the unknown.  it is a treasure trove.  and i alert my friends of my newfound interest in what is at the top of the coat rack.  i ask for their aid and their company on my quest to explore above.  and - well, it takes some explaining and some creative feline wiles, but before i know it - there i am, atop the coat mountain!  somewhere i've never been, and never even knew existed. and it was there all along.

bliss!

i sit up there, supported at first by the company (and head) of my friend.  then once i feel comfortable, i nestle in with the help of some craftily placed boxer shorts (they make a nice hammock).  i see new sights!  i see everything from a new and exciting perspective.  it is invigorating, enlightening.  definitely purr-inducing.

and now i find i am contemplating everything anew.  looking differently at the same old - it is familiar and at the same time completely unfamiliar!

seeing opportunity and possibility in what appears to be mundane.  and then having the courage to investigate, explore, survey -- check it out!!  what's up there or behind there or around that corner?  sometimes it is mind-blowing -- full of unfathomable discoveries.  sometimes it is just full of dust bunnies.  whatever the case, it is a fresh experience.

try it yourself.  step back from your limited and limiting vision.  try seeing your stuff differently, experiencing it with new eyes.  your surroundings, your routines, your relationships.  there are hidden treasures there.  we get used to seeing things as they present themselves at face value.  dare to peek beyond that.  it takes a sense of adventure, curiosity -- or even just a whisper of a wish.  know that you are supported -- and if you're concerned and need assurance:  breathe, you're in charge of the expedition and get to set the pace, and consider bringing along a pair of boxer shorts. 

really. you'll see things you didn't realize were there all along.  possibilities.  new friends.  a toy you thought long-gone.  a spark of interest you thought had faded.  opportunities.  beauty in something that used to appear dull.  new horizons.

go.  explore.  purr.

if only . . .

wow. here we are.

i am restless of late. i find myself wandering around. crying. not a cry of hurt or anguish. not even a cry of sadness or melancholy. just a cry of, well, noise. just using my voice. making my self present. i'm here!

sometimes i'll stand at the front door and cry. knowing that there are things unknown - places i've not been. in truth, i probably wouldn't really want to be in most of those places, but knowing that they are out there and i am not makes me shout nonetheless. there have been a few instances when i've run out there -- had a good look around -- then satisfied and just a little overcome with adrenaline, high-tailed it, if you will, back inside. not to hide, mind you. for, really, i am happy where i am, being here. and it is good to be reminded of that once in a while.

when i'm restless, i imagine life to be better outside the door - somewhere else. just getting a whiff of something different -- oh, it can make me spin into emotional acrobatics of what could be if only . . . if only. if only what? when you really think about it, the "if only" isn't about the place, the people, the possessions. it's about how you imagine yourself feeling. how the place, people or possessions make you feel - about yourself.

it all comes back to you.

and you're still here. but that's not a bad thing. in fact, it's the best thing! ever! because that's what it is all about. you. and how you feel about yourself.

so go ahead -- embrace the gift of restlessness. imagine what it's like outside the door. imagine "if only" and how you'd feel "if only". now, it just comes down to the feeling. creating that feeling here and now. imagine it! use your voice! "i'm here!" "here i am!"

if only i could get outside, i would feel happy. i would feel adventuresome. i would feel strong and alive. meow!

so, i howl questioningly: what makes me feel happy, adventuresome, strong and alive on THIS side of the door - where i am?

and guess what!? playing in the bathtub makes me happy. venturing up into the closet makes me feel adventuresome. running as fast as i can from room to room to room makes me feel strong and alive.

ask yourself the questions - how would that "if only" make you feel. what, where you are, can make you feel that way. meow! make it happen. bring those feelings into where you are right now.

here you are!

meow,

zulu