No. 216: And.

There it was in my inbox: Mew’s Lab Results.

Paw nudge.

Sometimes, your heart suddenly speaks, and clears the fog of worry or confusion. Those moments are precious. I’m sharing one of mine, hoping it’ll help you catch and savor one of yours. It all starts with the word “and.”

***

There it was in my inbox: Mew’s Lab Results.

Below the subject line in bold, the grayed-out preview said, “Dear Rumi and Pete, we got Mew’s labs back and”.

And. That’s where it cut off. Of course, it cut off right there, right at the divide of two possibly very different futures.

Why the lab test for our cat? She has allergies so bad that she’s licked her belly bald from the stress of constant itching. After other interventions failed, we resorted to giving her two or three annual steroid shots. The relief was great, but it came at the cost of shortening her life.

Pete and I have been trying one last option, even if it requires a nightly two-person wrestling match—one holding Mew down while the other pops the pricey pill in the back of her throat.

So, anyhow, there I was, finger hovering over my phone screen.

I stared at the word, “and.”

A puny little word with so much power.

What if the vet says the pill is causing an unusual adverse side effect and we can’t continue? Against good reason to be hopeful—the meds were helping as far as we could tell—I began to picture a terrible, hopeless outcome.

Then somehow, my heart overrode that imagining.

“...and I will nuzzle my forehead into the crook of her soft neck, risking getting swatted in the face with a claw, because it feels good to smoosh her.”

I set my phone down in my lap. Wow.

In my mind, how the vet finished the sentence after “and” determined the direction my future would take. But my heart knew otherwise.

There was really only one future all along.

More loving.

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Reflection

Bring a concern, worry, or decision you’re waiting on to mind. What happens when you finish this sentence?

“I waiting to learn about _____, and_____.”

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P.S. “. . . and the test shows nothing of concern.”

P.P.S. Curious about simple ways to make a life that lights you up? Enjoy these recent stories: slowing down to notice · letting goodness absorb · keeping your edges · finding concrete anchors in chaos · these precious things

P.P.P.S. I’m loving the early arrival of daffodils this year! Here’s a classic, groovy tune that has zero to do with cheery yellow blooms, but will help you remember to slow down and savor the season.