Lessons Learned
Crocheting with my beautiful Zoey on my outstretched legs
If there is any one more beloved in the cat blogosphere than Mr. Puddy, I would be quite surprised. I do not think there is a single person in my circle of human and feline friends who does not know who this handsome tuxedo kitty is. So, when I stopped by his blog the other day, I was quite taken aback and moved by the very courageous and honest post he did about his human Mom and her addiction to the computer that was affecting him adversely.
Apparently Puddy had been feeling neglected and decided to communicate very clearly to his human that she needed to take a break from the computer and spend more time interacting with him and the family. Mr. Puddy gave his Mom quite a scare when he stayed outside MUCH longer than normal and the time he was away caused her a profound moment of reflection. She said out loud what so many of us bloggers seem to be communicating as of late – it is not always possible to keep up with the fast pace relationship of maintaining a blog and a readership. And for many of us, sometimes it is more than one blog. Or, it is a blog, a full time job, and a book as in my case.
Well, again, those of you that know Mr. Puddy, know that his fan base is HUGE and it turns out that Puddy’s Mom was wearing herself out trying to visit each and every blog she wanted to every day and leave comments. I only have a fraction of the readers Puddy has and I find it nearly impossible to keep up with it in a satisfactory manner. We all want to be able to interact and comment with all of our blogging buddies, grow our fan base, and create numerous clever posts several times a week, but it really is not always possible. We have to forgive ourselves and move on with our lives and understand that it is okay if we don’t always have the time to participate like we want to. We have to be kinder to ourselves. We have to have the courage like Mr. Puddy’s Mom did to understand that sometimes you just have to step back a bit and walk away for a while. I greatly admire her for that and I applaud Mr. Puddy for letting his human know how important she is to him and how much he missed her. Cats are extraordinary teachers and communicators, we as humans just have to take the time to actually listen to what they are saying to us.
So, as the holiday season quickly descends upon us, which is stressful enough in and of itself, we need to learn from Mr. Puddy’s wise message that we can’t do it all and that it is okay that we can’t do it all. The world will continue to revolve on its axis if we take a break now and then for ourselves and our families. And trust me, I am at the top of the list of those that needs to learn from Mr. Puddy. I say that I want to step back and change, but I know it is not as easy as that. If I could have a dime for every time I obsessively hit “refresh” on facebook, or “send and receive” on my emails, I could retire wealthy right now. But, I am proud of myself. I promised myself I would spend more time outside with my neglected garden and I am very happy to say I did walk away from my computer to spend a few hours outside weeding and pruning over the weekend…
You will note I have shared a photo of myself and Zoey. Truthfully, I don’t like the picture at all visually (of myself). I look terrible, my hair is awful, and I need a major dose of makeup. But, emotionally and spiritually, this is one of the most telling and special pictures I have captured in time. My happiest moments in life are those that are shared in its simplest sense. I adore my time with Zoey and she adores her time with me. Without fail, she will patiently wait for my day to end – I am home from work, the dinner dishes are done and I finally turn the computer off and sit on the couch for an hour or so with Dan before bedtime. She finds the crook of my legs and settles herself in, like that last piece that completes a puzzle. She is blissfully content and so am I. This, dear Puddy, is what is all about and I will always remember your post in the spirit it was written.
We think that picture is just lovely, Deb. Such quiet moments spent together are priceless, and to be cherished.
Thank you meowmeowmans. I truly do cherish those moments. Zoey centers my world and I always drop everything I am doing for a few moments with her.
Hello all, Ryker’s mom here (and Allie, and FaRADaY and Maxwell too).
I’ve been lurking on this blog for quite a while (you expert bloggers can be intimidating sometimes! *grin*).
Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed this post. I found it to be very insightful and timely.
I’ve only been blogging for a bit over a year now, and I’ve found in my brief stint an interesting trend: when posting about anything cause-related, it seems to take so much out of me that I almost suffer a form of compassion fatigue. Stepping away and maintaining balance is indeed both healthy and necessary.
I just finished filming a series of holiday tips for Hallmark and the one thing that stuck with me as we were shooting was the concept visited again and again by the cast of experts on the show: the concept of being perfectly imperfect.
Being genuine – being real – is much more important than having a blog post written every day ( or 3 times a week, or whatever your goal may be). Choosing to spend time doing the important things – those are the memories that you will end up cherishing.
And Deb, I have to tell you that you picture has far more geniuineness to it than any professionally-lit, posed and composed shot. It’s real, it’s honest, and it’s perfectly imperfect! It reminds me of the last week I had with Ryker before he left us so suddenly. Maybe he knew his time was growing short – who knows? – but that week, he begged for more attention than usual. I consciously chose to leave the kitchen messy, to let the laundry go unfolded, to let the leaves pile up. And I held him and cuddled him and read with him in my lap. If I had to lose him, I can at least say I had no regrets.
And lately, I’d forgotten that lesson.
So…thank you.
Hello Ryker’s Mom, Allie, FaRADaY, and Maxwell. I can’t tell you how much it means to me for you to take the time to write such a thoughtful and deep post. I have really hit on something with this, but am not sure where it is all leading. I just feel that we as a human race are craving a simpler time in life and don’t quite no how to acheive it any more. I know what you mean about cause-related posts – I did a series on cat overpopulation and it really wore me out too. I thought they were very thought provoking at the time, but my blog audience was so limited, that I often wondered if I made any difference at all. But yes, stepping away and maintaining a balance is KEY.
Your Hallmark holiday tips sounds wonderful – please drop me a line, I would love to see the finished outcome. Perfectly imperfect is a fantastic message and one that should be shouted from rooftops!! Thank you also for your compliments on the picture – I am happy that it could give you a moment to reflect on your beloved Ryker with fondness. Cats are such strong communicators – when it is their time to go, they really do seem to tell us. Your comments have touched me deeply and I thank you as well…