This is Camille, my cat. She is one of two. As I was running around this morning trying to get ready before I had to leave my house, I glanced over toward our sliding door and this is what I saw.
Oh, to be a cat! My busy day was facing me and this would be her day, with a few walks to the litter box and to the kitchen for food and water. Have you ever wanted to trade your day with a cat’s? With the holidays rapidly approaching (next week is Thanksgiving!) I find myself increasingly stressed as the days tick by. “But you’re retired!” you say. True. But my days are overflowing as it is, minus the holidays. Where do I find the time to figure out Christmas, let alone Thanksgiving? So much to do. Today I would like to be Camille.
I am a very organized person, which is most helpful this time of year. I can’t imagine navigating these two months without a few lists or calendars. It still brings stress, however. Napping on a soft carpet in the sun sounds so much more inviting than creative financing, time to shop, still getting to the barn, groceries (every week!) and housework. Did I mention laundry, book promotion, reading the bible, reading my other books, meeting friends for lunch, watching the few shows that I tape? Need I go on?
But if I were a cat, I wouldn’t possess all the joys of being human. It’s not all about stress. And, by the way, stress is usually imposed upon us, by us. Being human allows for a life full of richness, beauty, challenges (some met, some not), powerful emotions, complicated relationships, anger, sadness, joy, love. The whole ball of wax. (Where did that expression come from?) I love being human and experiencing all of it, even on days like today when I might want to be Camille, even for just a few hours.
Do any of you remember the commercial, “Calgon, take me away?”Calgon was a box of soothing bath beads or bubble bath, I can’t remember which. There was a woman in the commercial and she was stressed out. The implication was that taking a nice long bath would carry away, at least in the short term, all of her problems and the stress that went with them. I never tried it, but I am a fan of baths.
Taking a bath, enjoying a glass of wine, listening to your favorite music, reading for pleasure, meditating, going for a walk, are all good temporary escapes from the stresses of the day. They are an important means to an end – retaining your sanity and good health. I would highly recommend doing one of these things or something similar at least once a week during the holidays. It will bring your focus back to what is important in your life. It’s not the busyness of life that counts. It’s what you think about when you are not busy.
So today I will complete what is on my schedule and let Camille do what she does. I wonder if she ever wants to be me? Nah, probably not. :))
