Happy to be...

Just what I am right now...

If Doubt There Was…

There is none now. Sal2 is Smokey's baby and the laid-back, social, mild-mannered fuzzball that is Smokey can (and will) turn into a tiger if his baby needs defending.

Monday afternoon our neighbour Gail dropped by to meet the new kitten. She brought her toy poodle, Midnight, with her. Midnight and Smokey have always been good friends. Smokey has always been overjoyed when Midnight arrived for a play session.

This time he greeted Midnight happily as usual, but Sal2 had never seen a dog before and when he saw Midnight he did not like what he saw, or smelled, and he most certainly did not want the rude creature sniffing his very private parts! He hissed at the poodle.

Smokey was down the hall, sniffing a bag Gail had brought in with her. When Sal2 hissed Smokey puffed up his very long coat and tail and shot down the hall into the kitchen throwing himself between Midnight and the kitten. He looked like a basketball made of fur.

Sal2 was standing at my feet, and recognizing trouble when I see it , I reached down and scooped him up. The kitten was surprised and squeaked, Midnight jumped up and Smokey went for Midnight. However by the time contact was made Midnight had moved and instead of getting Midnight Smokey bit me.

He sank his teeth into the front part of my ankle. He let go as quickly as he realized he had the wrong party, and he retreated to his cat tree. Gail didn't know what to do, but Smokey was still eyeing Midnight with murder in his heart so we asked her to pick Midnight up and go as quickly as possible.

I cleaned the wound and consulted Health Link, who made an immediate appointment with Urgent Care. I saw the doctor within the hour and was prescribed antibiotics. Yesterday I had to go have a tetanus shot, as I haven't had one in ages.

So, I am healing. Smokey is the new "hero" of the household for defending his baby, and life goes on, one small household drama after the next.

The Buddha's Blessing

Let all beings be happy!
Weak or strong,
of high, middle or low estate,
Small or great, visible or invisible,
near or far away,
Alive or still to be born —
may they all be perfectly happy!
Let nobody lie to anybody
or despise any single being anywhere.
May nobody wish harm
to any single creature,
out of anger or hatred!
Let us cherish all creatures,
as a mother her only child!
May our compassionate thoughts
fill the whole world,
above, below, across, –
Without limit;
a boundless goodwill
toward the whole world,
Unrestricted,
free of hatred and enmity!
(Sutta Nipata 118)

Compassion....

In the midst of the fire, on a day when the slings and arrows of outrage are being hurled at me by people I work with and for (enough said), a patient wrote to ask for medical advice I could not give. All I could do was extend my arms, acknowledge and embrace her suffering. It felt like far too little.

She responded, ending her note with this:

P.S. have you seen this ted talk? reminds me of you.

I aspire to such compassion, to be seen as having even a measure of it breaks my heart, in the most beautiful way.