And So It Begins… A New Year… New Possibilities
To see full beauty of image, click to enlarge.
As we begin a New Year, if there is anything the old one taught me, it is that life is fleeting, nothing is impossible, and that I am never too old to learn. The horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut still haunt me and I find myself with an even more resilient reserve to be a good person and to make the most I have of each and every day. That is why this quote from Albert Einstein struck such a strong chord with me as my calling card for 2013 and who better to be the poster cat, than my beautiful, wise, and regal, Zee.
Compassion and empathy for others in this often far too complicated and harried world seem to be attributes that have carelessly and effortlessly fallen to the wayside and a dangerous trend has evolved – indifference. We live in a time where everything is brought to us instantaneously – news has now become casual, mundane, background noise. And I am not just taking about televised news – facebook, twitter, email, etc. – the endless social avenues we have at our disposal also bring us to quickly judge one another to move on to the next headline, hash tag, status notification, etc. and we forget that every story is far more complicated and personal than it appears on the surface. At the very least, there are two sides to every story and I think each and every one of us has been misunderstood by others at one point or another in our lives.
In the animal world in particular, indifference is a death sentence and it is my goal to continue moving forward to help educate people about the plight of cat overpopulation on the streets and in shelters. Last year was an eye opener for me – I had no clue just how significant the problem was and I will remain diligent in my efforts to enlighten people in a warm, honest, and informative way about the situation. To aid in the effort, I am very excited to announce that I will have my first article published this April in Cat Fancy on the simple facts of spaying and neutering to not only controlling overpopulation, but to the overall health and behavioral benefits to your cat.
My wish for 2013 is that we all empower ourselves with kindness, compassion, and conviction. We as people have incredible potential to make a difference, not only in making the world a better place for animals, but for ourselves. A smile, a compliment, and a simple thank you go a long way in brightening someone’s day and the positive energy as a result of that is what moves mountains. And please, I only mean this post as a generalization. By and large the human race is an incredible species and we are a kind, compassionate, generous, and caring society. I know this firsthand because I continue to be in awe of the amazing and wonderful people I have met as a result of blogging. Each of you brings your own unique personality, story, and friendship to the blogosphere and I look forward to sharing another year with you.
Happy New Year – Peace and Love from Deb, Dan, Jazz, Harley, Zee, Zoey, Mia, Peanut, Rolz, and Kizmet
The boys – Rolz, Kizmet, and Zee. As always, we can learn invaluable lessons from our feline teachers if we so choose. I take great comfort in the simple companionship they share and the compassion they have for one another.
What a beautiful post! You are so right about cats being the best teachers – if we follow their guidance, we simply can’t go wrong. Happy New Year to you and the gang!
Oh yes Ingrid… If we can’t be cats, at least we can learn from them! Happy New Year to you and the girls!
All very true words. I sure hope I can figure out a way to help all the homeless animals. We sure do wish all of you kitties and peoplles too a very Happy and Healthy New year.
Marg – I hope we can help the homeless animals too. Thank you for all you do for them and have a wonderful New Year.
We wish you all a very Happy New Year! May 2013 bring you all much happiness.
Thank you Island Cats – we wish you happiness as well this New Year!
It’s not a bad thing to walk around with your heart on your sleeve and finding the world to be a beautiful place. Most of the time it is, and you make it a more compassionate and beautiful place by expecting it to be so, and one by one, you win over another person, another animal. I see it as “getting back to the garden”, but perhaps we’re just a bunch of flower children anyway. Happy new year to you and your family from me and mine!
Bernadette – I had some garden time today and it did help my mood a bit. I go to extremes during the holidays – the highs of having the family visit, then the lows of the empty house. All will be well, and the world is what you make of it. I chose to be kind and compassionate. Have a lovely New Year!
Beautifully stated fur sure! We wish you all the best for 2013. Happy New Year from all of us at Brian’s Home!
Thank you Brian – and thank you for all that you and your humans do to help the animals of the world! Happy New Year!
That was great deb and right on the mark. Thank you for this sensitive and insightful post. Happy New Year and Congrats on Cat Fancy!
Thank you Caren – kind of a bittersweet post, but that is how I have been feeling of late. My best to you, Cody, Dakota, and Lenny for the New Year!
Happy New Year! Hoping that 2013 is everything you can wish for and that you are able to stick to those hopes and goals for the year-
Chey – I hope I can stick to those goals too!! It’s often easier said than done, but we will give it a try! Happy New Year to you and yours!
Happy New Year. Beautiful post. May you have a wonderful 2013.
Thank you Sue. Wishing you a wonderful 2013 as well.
Great post! We hope 2013 will be a great year for all of you.
Thank you jansfunnyfarm – wishing you a wonderful New Year as well.
Happy New Year! Eat more cookies!
Yes!! More cookies! I could not agree more, RumpyDog!!
So, so true. We love your wish for the new year. Here’s to a 2013 filled with compassion, conviction and kindness. And love.
Happy New Year, dear friends. We are so thankful for you.
Thank you so much, meowmeowmans. We are so grateful for all you do and you are an inspiration to us all…
Happy New Year to you and yours. As this year begins, I find myself with the challenge of helping my friend’s cat sanctuary find a loving person to take care of the cats there. Even though the small sampling in the cat blogosphere are caring, loving humans, I don’t hold much hope for the human race. All are spoiled and can only think of themselves. Unless this changes, humans are doomed and so are the cats who depend on them.
Cathy… I have to admit that I really struggled with this post… just feeling a bit blue and overwhelmed at the moment. I hope that humans can change, but it sure does seem to be questionable the more you watch the news…
Your heartfelt words echo mine. There’s no doubt this year tested and tempered us. As we move forward, it’s my hope, wish and prayer that all beings know peace and light of their own true nature (((hugs))) to you and every member of your family both two-legged and four.
Layla – I am certain you know how I feel and I too hope that all beings can find some inner peace of their own true nature. Very well stated!! Hugs back to you and yours!
Well said, the mommy says! With the advent of 24/7 cable news, somehow we lost the concept of Equal Time and people only listen to what supports their views – and the world seems increasingly polarized. Was it Colbert who once said that people like that use cable news the same way a drunk uses a light post: for support and not illumination.
We wish peace for all humankind – and tolerance and understanding.
And we are sooo excited to hear about your Cat Fancy article!! Concats!
And we send you warm purrs from our home to yours – and all the best for 2013~~
Maxwell, Faraday, and Allie – very good examples to support what I was trying to say. It is somewhat frustrating and I hope we can move forward in a more tolerant path. Thank you for the concats on the Cat Fancy article and Happy New Year to all of you as well!
What a great post! Deb, you have said the things I have been wrestling with so succinctly and eloquently.
Rock On and may this year be your best ever!
Nellie’s Mom
Nellie – your statement, “wrestling with,” is the perfect assessment of how I feel interanally. I have a lot of conflict in me at the moment and hope that the New Year will bring some peace and resolve! Happy New Year back to you and yours!
Thank you for coming by SpittySpeaks today! We hope that 2013 brings you only wonderful things XOXOXO We love the Einstein quote, too!
You are welcome, Spitty!! We love visiting your blog and hope you have a great New Year!
Another lovely message! Thank you for everything you’re doing, congratulations for the Cat Fancy article, and, last but not least, a very happy, healthy, successful New Year to you!
Lots of purrs
Thank you so much, Texas. We wish you and yours a wonderful New Year as well!
cat fancy !!!????
CAT FANCY !!!!
this bee way total lee awesum sooper kewl….conga ratz two ewe
mrs JAZZ 🙂
on gettin yur storee published; wunder if they will let Jazz haza centerfold 😉 in de same izzue…..oh and may bee ewe will get sum treets and toys and FISH sted oh cash money huh !!!
saweet !
conga ratz again !!
MOL!!! Oh tabbies, there you go making me laugh and smile again!! You sure are Mr. Jazz’s number one fan and he is very flattered!! Thanks for the concats!
Wonderful post! All of us were really tested in 2012. Good new – we all passed the test and get to enjoy 2013. That’s what I think, anyway. Wishing the very best to you and yours, and thank you for such a great post.