The Symbolic Cat

Some people are cat people, some prefer dogs.  I'm ambivalent in my preference for either, but I like a GOOD cat or a GOOD dog.  Right now we have a good cat: friendly, affectionate, likes to sleep a lot, eat a little, has short hair.  A few days ago I encountered a bad dog while out on a run, so for the moment, cats win.  One thing about cats is both hard to understand and annoying: the in and out insistence.  Our cat can be hard to please, asking to come in and five minutes later, meowing to go out.  There doesn't seem to be a predictable pattern for these requests; they just come in spurts.


This morning was one of those can't-make-him-happy occasions.  Fortunately my mind was in a teachable place and I began to see a parallel between my cat and myself as an artist!  I am driven by the moment.  I sit down to work with a goal in mind, a project to focus on, self-discipline kicked in.  And then, suddenly the clouds part, sun streams in the windows of my studio and I can't resist its effects.  If it's warm, I want to go out and paint what I see; if the day is cold, I want to paint something fresh, vibrant, sunny --- reactive --- right there, inside ant my easel.  In other words, I want to claim that moment as my own, making the most of what has just been handed to me.  I want to live life to it's most beautiful and express the journey to others.


Maybe cats are live-for-the-moment savvy.  "I want in... I want out..."   I want the most I can get from God's simple gift of "moments";  I think I'll be a bit more patient with one who meows for it.