My cat fell off the porch railing six times today. He was napping in front of the window and I counted.
Limp as a rag doll, he’d sleepily take a casual stretch and then—HOLY COW!—inelegantly flip into the flower bed. Not once did he look around to see if anyone noticed. He shook it off and jumped right back up.
If I fell off the porch railing, I’d lie in the bushes indefinitely trying to figure out how to make it look like I did it on purpose. “Just smelling the rosemary. Nothing to see here.”
Cats don’t give a rip. About ANYTHING. They do whatever they want with zero regret and still manage to rake in the love and devotion of the world! They should be holding webinars.
Here are 3 life lessons we can learn from a cat:
1. If you fall off the porch railing, shake it off and get back on.
When my cat nose dives off the railing, he’s not running a self-critical loop in his head. “How stupid AM I? I screwed up again!” He doesn’t stomp around in the bushes and feel like a loser. He jumps back up with dirt in his whiskers and tries again.
What does he care? He coughs up hairballs for a living. His only concern is about how he feels, and it feels really good up on that railing in the sunshine. If he has to free fall occasionally, no problem.
When you’re trying something new, being adventurous or stretching outside your comfort zone, you’re probably going to face plant a few times. It’s normal but that’s the scary part. What if you look stupid? What if people think you’re a nitwit? What if they laugh?
It’s risky to take action on your dreams because you could fail over and over again. It’s easier to avoid the railing and nap in the corner.
Be like the cat. When you plop into the bushes, shake it off and get right back up into the GLORIOUS SUNSHINE!
2. It’s okay to drool when you feel good.
Every morning my cat gets a full body rub down. I scratch up and down his back, under his belly and all over his face. He holds his nose in the air and squirms in utter ecstasy… and then he drools a little. The feelings are SO GOOD.
Do you know anyone who openly receives pleasure with that kind of reckless abandon? In public?
One time, I got an amazing hair wash and began to moan as the stylist rubbed my temples. I caught myself before a crowd gathered and faked an awkward cough to cover. It didn’t work. I tipped extra out of shame.
There’s something uncomfortable about openly showing pleasure, especially at the hands of a stranger. You’re supposed to keep a lid on it, hide your feelings, stay in control, keep your guard up. Moaning is not proper!
Here’s the cat’s guide to proper: Allow yourself the joy of pleasurable feelings without embarrassment and guilt and let others know how good they make you feel by drooling a little.
3. It’s okay to claim your freedom and teach others how you want to be loved.
My cat wants love and affection but only on HIS terms. He demands freedom from my grip and from my selfish need to love him MY way. If I try to try take control or cuddle too long, he’ll defiantly release himself in 25 directions and I’ll get the claw. No apologies.
Not a bad plan, right?
Be in charge of your own behavior and resist the temptation to worry about anyone else’s. It’s easy to want control over actions that may affect your life, but it’s exhausting trying to keep others in line! Let them handle their own business so you can get some rest!
For some reason you have this notion that everyone has the same ideas and preferences you do. If you feel a certain way, they must, too. Not so much.
Let’s say you enjoy big doses of affection so you assume your son does, too. Maybe the look of contempt on his face is a clue he’d rather die than be snuggled. Don’t get all bent out of shape, ask him what HE needs.
Maybe he wants verbal affirmations that he’s appreciated and valued. Now if you praise and compliment him, he feels the love you were trying to physically assault him with.
In turn, let everyone know what your preferences are instead of believing they should know if they cared. They do care but they might be absorbed in their own needs. It happens. Clue them in and they may surprise you!
A cat doesn’t concern himself with anyone’s business but his own and has no problem schooling you on his preferred “language of love.”
Cats are pretty clever creatures, without a second of therapy or a single self-help book! They just feel worthy and the rest takes care of itself.
Forget about what might happen if you fall off the railing. Just climb back up into the sunshine, lap up every drop of joy and pleasure you can get your paws on and ask for some good lovin’. Who knows, you just may do a little drooling someday.
