In 2008 we lived in a nearly idyllic bayside community in Galveston, catching fish and crab in our literal back yard while soaking up salty sea spray and sun rays. Until Ike, a Category 4 hurricane, plowed right over our shores and into our homes. Ike turned island living into years of construction and boarded up homes and businesses. In the aftermath, one of our cats disappeared. We officially grieved his loss until a bedraggled version of him returned four weeks later. Oh the joy and celebration! And the mystery. Despite our pleas, he would never reveal how he’d spent those weeks away.
Last week, more than 14 years later, we said a very tearful goodbye to Ami Gray. There will be no returning from unknown circumstances after a storm but along with that sadness are happy memories of those bonus years. If you are a pet lover, you know in the deep trenches of your heart you will one day tell them a permanent goodbye. Don’t dwell on that. Enjoy every purring, ruffing, howling, scratching, tail-wagging or lap-sitting moment and count it all as joy, even the litter boxes and early morning wet-nose wake-ups.
Quote of the Week…
“My heart is beating, and I’m breathing, and nothing anybody has ever done has changed that.” Rupi Kaur, 1992 –
Breathe…
We all do it. If we are lucky, it is automatic and pain-free. We don’t even think about it. Paying attention to breath is meditation 101, the most basic mindful awareness practice. I’ve used box breathing (four counts inhale, four counts hold, four counts exhale and four counts hold) during dentist visits. Six breaths per…
Quote of the Week…
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” Pablo Picasso, 1881 – 1973
Look It Up…
Raise your hand if you remember going to the library and shuffling through the card catalog to access not-so-secret codes leading to research information. Keep your hand up if you miss that. The worst was when one card led to another, and another. Then there was the toppling book stack from which you jotted not…
Quote of the Week…
“Compassion is the desire that moves the individual self to widen the scope of its self-concern to embrace the whole of the universal self.” Arnold J. Toynbee, 1889-1975
Welcome, Stranger…
It is easy to dismiss or avoid contact with strangers; those who express their culture, love, gender, nationality and religious beliefs differently. I believe all people are deserving of equal treatment and acceptance, but living that truth is a different matter. While I work to fill social gaps created by a recent move, I encounter…
Patty Mayeux Blog 
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