I walked to and from work today – a total of 6 miles, which isn’t very far but which made it seem a good idea to go out into the garden and collapse on the grass for a while when I got home. And I started my usual round of worrying, about:
My mother being 87 and what the future might bring for her
Daughter 1 being about to start the dissertation for her second Master’s degree rather than being at the stage I was at when I was her age (not that this was particularly impressive either)
Climate change
Interest rates and banking and so on
Getting old, fat and wrinkly
World peace or the lack of it
Daughter 2 going out with a mostly-unemployed actor
Son being overworked as a junior doctor
My very small projected pension because of my having been an at-home mummy for nine years
Son having left home so that we hardly see him (because he's a very overworked junior doctor and has very little spare time)
What to do with the cats when we go away on holiday in the future
What we'll do without the cats because they won't live forever
The ivy on the back walls of the garden, which probably will live forever, getting bigger and bigger, alas
Whether I'll get done everything that I need to, by the end of my holiday from work
Whether I'll ever get the photos organised even if I live to 100
Possibly living to 100, when I would be a burden on my children
And so on
And then along came Sirius. He rubbed his warm, solid, fluffy tummy against my cheek as I lay on the grass and then he leaned companionably against me for a while, purring. He wandered round my recumbent form, looking at me curiously. Then he sat on my head: the very best kind of furry hat.
That’s why I like cats. They don’t worry. They just make the best of things.
Very wise cats.
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ReplyDeleteWhich must explain the saying that cats don't have owners, they have staff.....let the staff do the worrying!
ReplyDeleteStuttering fingers. I obviously don't have any staff. I have to do all this hunting and pecking by myself.....
ReplyDeleteYou left out some of the things to worry about. I have a list of them that I can lend you, if you really want to waste more time and energy!
ReplyDeleteCats live in the moment. And do they care about being fat and wrinkly? See. Just channel your cat self, and everything will fall nicely into place, so that all you need worry about is when the next treat is due.
I have a mental "worry" list that would probably beat yours! LOL - Not that I'm trying to compete.
ReplyDeleteWhat hours does your son work? We met a docotro here in the Emergency Dept. that had just done 24 hours and had another 24 hours ahead of him! I don't know how they even function.
Thank goodness for cats! They do give you a new perspective, don't they?
ReplyDeletemy Grandma used to say that everything works out in the end so you dont have to worry and if your cats purr you have a happy home.
ReplyDeleteHugs Mary.
It is almost impossible to worry when wearing a purring furry hat.
ReplyDeleteDarling Isabelle. Your last two items together cracked me up. My mother says you should only worry about the things that you have control over. That rules out almost everything, only leaving the cats on vacation, the ivy, the photo organization and whether you'll get everything done by the end of your holiday (at least by my calculations). I'll try my best to help you with #1once in awhile; ivy can be clipped; if your photos are like mine, they won't be organized by 100 so there's no point worrying about them; and you can only do your best about your to-do list.
ReplyDeleteHow was that for a pep-talk??? Not so good, maybe? I wish I lived down the street -- I'd come over and play and we'd tackle that list and have a grand time. Come to think of it...I think we should spend our time worrying about why I don't live down the street from you!
I think the cats have the right idea. And it's wonderful that Sirius could bring you out of your worry spell with a bit of love! Yes, we could learn a lot from cats (and, of course, dogs).
ReplyDeleteMostly-unemplyed actor - that's all of them, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteRegarding getting fat and wrinkly, if you haven't started on that yet, it probably isn't going to happen.
I recommend a flamethrower for the ivy.
Sat on your head! My mother had a cat that did that. He was so lovely.
ReplyDeleteI am a worrier... it is so hard a habit to break.
Oh, Mum. Have a cuddle.
ReplyDeleteI obviously read the first draft of this yesterday and am sorry to see that even more worries seem to have crept on to the list since then...
Don't worry about being a burden to us, for goodness' sake.
I love that about pets. :)
ReplyDeleteI love that comment from your daughter - Oh Mum, have a cuddle! Well, you were, weren't you - with Sirius! Sometimes I think Topsy worries more than I do. I don't know what she would have to worry about, but she will jump up on the couch next to me, and stare unblinkingly intent into my face. Such a worried little look! So I pat her for a while and she settles down eventually.
ReplyDeleteGood cat.
ReplyDeleteCats ARE good like that. I always feel much better about life when i am clutching one of them very firmly and giving it a very hard cuddle.
ReplyDeleteSomeone said that holding the cat lowered your heart rate.
Thank heavens for Sirius, otherwise you may still be lying on the grass worrying....endlessly.
ReplyDeleteIf you read back through that list, almost none of them are within your control......so do yourself a favour, lie on the grass and think about the things you have achieved, things you like, friends you have, etc. etc.
In fact, enjoy your lovely summer.....we've just experienced some of it, but now we're back home in the winter.
6 miles sounds quite a long walk to me...
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't be a burden if you lived to be 100 as you'd be purposefully occupied still sorting out your photos. Then you can come and do mine.
I worry about most of those things too, and more. Have a lovely holidays, and don't bother with any of those things you have to sort out, it's the holidays remember?