I have the world's coolest cat.
She is an only cat right now. She used to have a partner in crime, a twelve-year-old counterpart named, appropriately, Old Lady, who recently passed away. Old Lady has only been my cat for about four years.
Trippy, however, has been my cat since I got out of Nursing school seven years ago. She and I have been through the wringer together. She has tolerated my ups and downs with remarkable grace, and I in turn have put up with her feline idiosyncrasies as well as I might.
When I got out of nursing school and got a job, the first thing I did was go to the animal shelter to adopt a cat. I didn't want a tabby, especially not a gray one. I was tired of tabbies. I wanted a nice seal point or maybe a calico. When I went to the animal shelter, I pulled her out just because those big green eyes were so sweet, I thought, "She probably hasn't been held today. I'll just hold her for a second to give her some love, and then move on." When I put her back in the kennel, her little front paws shot out, and her arms grabbed onto mine and held tight. No claws, just a tight, determined, "please don't leave me" hug.
I was a goner. I went immediately to the front desk with the card from her kennel door and told them I was her new owner. They asked if I would like to hold her while they filled out the paperwork and let me sign it. When they brought her out, she wriggled out of my arms and perched on my shoulder to watch the proceedings, presumably to make sure we didn't mess anything up. When I brought her home from the vet's office two days later after her spaying, she was so loopy from the medication that she was staggering left, right, running into walls, attacking shadows and losing fights with invisible foes. This is how she got her name, because on her first day home she was tripping harder than any druggie I have ever seen.
Seven years later, she and I understand each other about as well as human and cat can. She comes when I call, supervises me at all times when I am in the house, and even ensures that I am in bed on time. No joke-Corrie is my witness. If I am late getting in bed, she will come and get me.
Lately...what am I saying? It's not just lately. Since I started taking all this pain medication, it's been making me sick. I've been vomiting at least twice a week (that's if I'm lucky) for the last couple of months. Phenergan has become my best friend. When I am in the bathroom getting sick, Tripps will either come into the bathroom with me or, if the door is shut, she will stand outside of it and cry.
She knows something is wrong that is not going away. Early one morning, as I was tossing and turning, in pain that wouldn't abate, I felt her crawl under the covers and lie down right on the painful area on my abdomen. My initial response was "Seriously? You HAVE to lay RIGHT THERE?" But I was so tired that I wound up drifting off to sleep before I could coax her to move somewhere else. When I woke, I realized that she had turned into a little ball of warmth right on the pain. Now, heat doesn't really help any more, but then, the combination of the pressure from her weight, the vibration from her purring, and the concentrated heat from her body tucked under the comforter reduced my pain so much it was unbelievable.
What is my point? Why am I writing about this on a blog where I am supposed to be recording my musings about life, spirituality, my walk with God, and my observations on the Christian journey? Well, firstly, because I wanted to. I wanted to write about something positive, and this was what I picked.
Second, I'm trying to come to understand and appreciate the smaller things that God has put into my life, like little treasures hidden here and there to help me get through just a few more hours of each day. That's all I can do any more. Just breathe in and out a few more times. Just make sure that much more of my day passes. Everyone has those times, when that is literally all that can be done.
I am so grateful for the little things. I am a little thing.
"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." Mother Theresa
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