The World from Cirquie's Box

 My cat, Cirquie (pronounced SirKey) and I, have a morning tradition.

After breakfast, I haul out a box weighted down with old sheets inside so it will not collapse when she is on it. Add to the top an old towel, prop the sides with my bed pillows, then comes one of the best parts - summoning the kitty.

I poke my head out of the bedroom doorway and call, "Cirquie's box!" and my grey and white 11-year old cat comes running, knowing what joys she will find. She hops up on the bed then takes a flying leap onto the box. The moment her paws hit the towel, she is purring.

I bend over her body, our heads pressed against each other's and we have our ten minute morning session. She watches for any movement from birds, cars, neighboring cats, and whatever the wind might be blowing across the land. I begin talking, as she loves just the sound of my voice as much as she loves her meals and her belly rubs.  "What's going on out here today?" I ask.  The answer is deeper rumbling from her chest.  I often lay my head firmly against her back or side, to absorb that wonderful healing sound.

I have, of late, been dealing with a great deal of stress on top of my usual depression and anxiety. So I find myself focusing exclusively on the negatives. I moan about the giant pile of logs which mar the beauty of the landscape. As well as the ugly masses of crumbling cement from a long-ago collapsed barn. Watching vehicles careen around the corner reminds me of how close to the road I am and how I long for more privacy and natural silence. I see the garbage bag of pine boughs that was my Christmas 'tree' that has yet to be bundled and hung next to the bird feeder to give them a bit of shelter. As for that bird feeder, it is precariously hung from a markedly tilted pole which I may or may not tackle some day.

But the moment I voice these concerns in Cirquie's ear, I realize my lousy attitude. I begin, instead, to speak of the goodness of all that we see. The constant beauty of the evergreens on the other side of the field, the shadow patterns on the snow. The fact that, although it is frigid outside, we are indoors, safe and warm. The pleasure of our time together, hearing her happy purring.  "Accentuate the Positive" comes to mind, a phrase from an old song.  When our session is over and I go on to morning chores, I find that expressing aloud the positive things we have seen together from our little window has made a difference. I feel less overwhelmed, a bit more ready to face whatever may come my way on this day.

 

-GG