I’m not much of a morning person. Never really have been. I’d much rather stay up late and sleep in than get up early.
To me, there should only be a 5 p.m., not a 5 a.m. Blah.
There are, on occasion, some moments when I have to rise and shine, and I’m telling you, the older I get and the more I become set in my ways, the more difficult it is to get out of bed before the sun is up.
Well, as you can imagine because I’m writing this column, the other day, I had to set my alarm for much earlier than I would have preferred.
I struggled out of bed and over my sleeping cats who were roused by my movements and gave me that ubiquitous cat look that translates roughly into, what in the world are you doing?
I have also, because of my age and generally creaky joints, tried to start each day with some stretching so that I can hopefully stave off the arthritis that runs all through my mother’s side of the family.
So there I stood, a few days ago, stretching in my room, while everything was still dark and feeling like I was practically asleep on my feet when my cat, Zippy, walked up and sat down right in front of me.
He yawned and did some stretching of his own and was generally moving pretty slowly – because he’s not used to being awake at that time either!
Well, as I was moving around, doing some of my qigong poses, it dawned on me, he was probably going to just go right back to bed after I left. As a stretched out my shoulders, I wondered if he was actually planning on returning to bed shortly.
He had that contemplative look about him that said, “I only have to put up with this for a little while and can then go back to dreamland.”
Sometimes, these are the thoughts that I have as well. I think to myself, just make it until about 6 o’clock tonight and the evening will be all yours.
Did Zippy share the same kind of thought process?
As I touched my toes, I realized I don’t think animals live their life that way. They are much more of an “in the moment” kind of creature.
Standing in my dark room, with a cat at my feet that morning I had a bit of an epiphany.
Can you imagine what it would be like to live like that?
Often times, I find myself planning and looking to the future and making lists for everything I have to do tomorrow or next week or next month. I can get caught up in a “what’s coming next” mindset that has led to sleepless nights.
What if, instead, I lived in the present moment a little more? What if, instead of thinking about when I would be done for the day, I focused on the stretching of my joints and muscles, maybe watched the sun come up or the birds come awake outside.
What if instead of worrying about what was coming or what has happened in my past, I just stay right where I am in the moment?
How would that affect my mood and my energy?
Because you realize that’s where our animals live, pretty much all the time.
Zippy’s not really planning when his next nap will be; he just takes it when he feels like it.
The dogs at the shelter aren’t worried about making their next car payment; they just have a ton of fun running and playing in the yard outside.
Okay, realistically, as human beings living on this planet and trying to survive, yes, we have to have some moments in our day when we’re focused on the tasks of actually living.
But, man, there would be a lot of freedom in truly living in the moment, wouldn’t there?
Maybe because we can’t really embrace that mindset wholeheartedly, we should look to it when we need it. So if there are days you are tired and don’t want to do what you have to do, how about taking it just one minute at a time, one moment at a time?
Maybe that’s the secret to really enjoying life like our animals do – or as close as we humans can get.
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Jennifer Vanderau is the public relations coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at [email protected]. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, readers may call the shelter at 717-263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Animal lovers and those looking for bargains can help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.
