He slithered past my calves and out the door and bolted across the porch, his little legs churning as fast as they would go. A cry escaped my lips as I rushed after him, my hands reaching—reaching for him and coming up empty. This is my scaredy cat, my cat who we suspect has eyesight problems and has never once in 1152 days of human-imposed quarantine attempted to go outside. But a combination of Covid-19 quarantine fever, summer heat, and that unknown cat quotient that causes male cats to yowl all night and tramp across your forehead in the early sleeping hours, forced him to make a mad prison break into the backyard.
I leaped after him and managed to grab his hindquarters, but he turned from solid form into cat liquid form and squished through my fingers. I chased him to the end of the garden where he made an abrupt U-turn. Fortunately, I had left the door open, so on his return trip, now at the top end of his adrenaline-fueled charge, he raced back into the house. I slammed the door with relief and collapsed in a heap.
Most of my life I’ve allowed my cats to roam inside/outside. But my environment is fraught with coyotes, dogs, HOA rule abiders, and bobcats—yes, bobcats! My tender, house-smart-only cat would be easy pickings.
Sometimes I, too, want to make a break for it—drive madly into the sunset, eat ice cream until I’m stuffed, host a big party, disappear into a Netflix binge for days. The temptation is real. But I realize my chancy moves would actually put, not only myself, but others at risk, people I love very much. So I stay put in my quarantined state and cautiously do the things that will protect my community.
But there is something I can do. I can channel my frustrations into something positive that will encourage and support people who are having a much worse time than I am. I could give you a list of the things I’ve done or thought of, but why don’t you make your own list? Without risking anyone’s health, how can you bring a little bubble of love, a spotlight of cheer, a ladle of sharing into someone’s day today?
You can do it!
BtheLove.
I leaped after him and managed to grab his hindquarters, but he turned from solid form into cat liquid form and squished through my fingers. I chased him to the end of the garden where he made an abrupt U-turn. Fortunately, I had left the door open, so on his return trip, now at the top end of his adrenaline-fueled charge, he raced back into the house. I slammed the door with relief and collapsed in a heap.
Most of my life I’ve allowed my cats to roam inside/outside. But my environment is fraught with coyotes, dogs, HOA rule abiders, and bobcats—yes, bobcats! My tender, house-smart-only cat would be easy pickings.
Sometimes I, too, want to make a break for it—drive madly into the sunset, eat ice cream until I’m stuffed, host a big party, disappear into a Netflix binge for days. The temptation is real. But I realize my chancy moves would actually put, not only myself, but others at risk, people I love very much. So I stay put in my quarantined state and cautiously do the things that will protect my community.
But there is something I can do. I can channel my frustrations into something positive that will encourage and support people who are having a much worse time than I am. I could give you a list of the things I’ve done or thought of, but why don’t you make your own list? Without risking anyone’s health, how can you bring a little bubble of love, a spotlight of cheer, a ladle of sharing into someone’s day today?
You can do it!
BtheLove.