I was wondering if you had any advice for me. I can’t afford to go to school
like I had hoped to, and life is getting kinda hard in all kinds of ways. I don’t
want to see life pass me by, yet it seems like it will. I had all the ideas and
hopes and dreams, and instead I have bills and a boring life. I wanted
something better than this, to go places and see things, to become an
astronomer! I can’t see how it is going to happen, yet I just can’t let go of my
dream. What do you suggest I do?

Sincerely,

Earthbound and Down

Greetings Earthbound,

I don’t blame you for feeling sad or anxious when something you really
wanted seems to be far out of reach. One of my goals is to reach the birdfeeder,
but I always find it just out of reach, no matter what I try.  

It is easy to get very discouraged and to feel like giving up. Life seems to be
getting harder for humans in many ways. One thing I have to say I admire
about humans, though, is their ability to keep looking skyward and think
about the possibilities. 

It is not that cats are not natural optimists, and I always encourage creatures
to know the joy and benefits of being in the present moment. But, there is a
lot to be said for humans thinking about what could be just down the road. 

Right now that road seems covered with dust, and a thunderstorm is about
to break over your head, which will just make everything mud. You feel rather
like you are sinking, and going to carry the stains with you for the rest of your
journey home. Cats don’t particularly care for dirt and mud in their fur either,
so I know it is not a pleasant feeling.

But don’t despair. Say along this path you are on, you start looking for a place
to take cover from the storm. You really feel like you should be moving on as
quickly as you can, so that you “get somewhere.” And that somewhere has to
be better, it has to be the place you were meaning to go. 

But you can’t get further, and you take a break somewhere. Maybe under a tree.
The branches keep most of the rain off of you, and you have time to look around
at where you are at. It’s not where you planned to be. It may even feel boring,
because you can only see the rain. But humans can know the rain will clear. As
you sit under that tree and the storm passes, think about where you are in life
and really take it in. You can find your way back to the path. It’s late, and you
feel like everything has passed you by. The sun has set, with only a few wisps
of color deepening across the remnants of the day, sliding down the sky. And
you just feel like you just wasted your time being where you were.  

As you hurry along, going to wherever it is you will be going to, you’ll look up
and see the last bits of that day and rain give way to a brilliant night sky. The
air will be fresh with the dew of possibilities, and you’ll remember that looking
at the sky is free of charge. 

I can’t tell you whether you will get to do all the things you want to. Cats don’t
have that power over their lives either. They are an independent lot, that is true.
But they have to take the bad with the good as well, because they don’t usually
 have the ultimate say when they are placed into homes as kittens. Just like
human children. But as we grow, we recognize our power to keep moving down
the path. Sometimes we have to shelter somewhere when there is a storm. We
get pushed around or bullied, or chased with brooms. But a shaft of sunlight
and a full belly will enable any cat to tell you that life can be very good
wherever it is they are at. And when the thing blocking your path shifts and
you keep moving forward, you may find yourself somewhere far different
than you intended. I don’t really think you are lost, though. Your dreams,
ideas, and hopes may just be finding a creative way to shape your life. 

So, find a tree to shelter under, dig in, and wait for the night stars to peek
through the rain. You’ll know how to navigate your way across these stormy
seas to your port. After all, an astronomically-inclined human can’t ever be too
lost. You’ll find your way.  

xop’s (p is for purrs)

Baby the Greatest