Month: January 2013

Sunday Purrs: Ruby on Happiness

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cat_on_cat_tree

Happiness does not light gently on my shoulder like a butterfly.
She pounces on my lap, demanding that I scratch behind her ears. –Anonymous

What is happiness? The answer to this broad question is, of course, subjective, although I’d say for most of us, the above quote captures its meaning purr-fectly.

Today, Ruby would like to share her definition.

In Ruby’s world, happiness is:

  • sitting in Mom’s lap while she’s working, watching tv, reading, or any other time. Mom’s lap is the best place on earth!
  • playing with my sister. I especially like chasing her around the house.
  • watching the birds on our deck. I just know that one day, I’ll actually manage to catch one!Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Take Time For Yourself

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sleeping_cat

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take
between two deep breaths. – Etty Hillesum

We all have busy lives, and there are days when it feels like we’ll never get everything done. For most people, the first thing to fall by the wayside during busy times is time for yourself. I’ve never met a cat who says”I’m too busy to take a moment to stretch in the sun.” Why can’t we be more cat like when it comes to taking care of ourselves?

The following ten tips can help you carve out some time for yourself even when the world is screaming for your attentionime. I offer this thought to you: you can’t afford not to take the time. Your sanity, and your health, may depend on it.

  1. Say no to anything that’s not important. I’ve always liked Steven Covey’s system of sorting items on your to do list into urgent, important, not urgent, and not important categories. Surprisingly, it’s the items in the “important but not urgent” quadrant, not the things that are “urgent and important,” that should receive your greatest attention. For example, daily playtime with your cats is important but not urgent. Feeding your cats, however, is important and urgent! For a more detailed (and less cat-centric) explanation of Covey’s important/urgent matrix, visit Practice This or go straight to the source and read Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
  2. Ask for help. Frequently, people who are constantly busyContinue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Fuzzy Resolutions

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cat_on_window_sill

Guest post by Angie Bailey

I’m not really one for New Year’s resolutions. I guess I believe in intentions that can change in any moment. I don’t need to wait until New Year’s Eve to decide what’s important to me and set goals for myself. But since many people use the new year as a kickoff point, I thought I’d once again look to my wise felines for cues as to what I’d like to intend for myself in the new year.

Be present with one thing at a time

I know I’m a good multi-tasker, but that doesn’t mean it’s always a great attribute. Sometimes when I’m busy with one activity, I’m thinking about something else. Cats are laser-focused on whatever they currently have their paws on, and when they’re finished, they move on to the next thing. Presence is something for which I constantly strive. Keeping one browser tab open at a time on the computer is a start. It’s way too easy to pop over to Facebook and waste some major time when I have an article deadline. I can find myself easily distracted — and that does nothing for my time management or presence. Cats don’t care about multi-tasking, tabs or time management — they just live in the flow, which is an excellent example for all of us.

Stare into space more oftenContinue Reading

Sunday Purrs: How Are Your New Year’s Resolutions Holding Up?

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January

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. – Lao Tzu

The new year is only five days old today. How are your New Year’s resolutions holding up?

I’m all about reinventing yourself, and finding your bliss, and the clean slate of a new year seems to be as good a time for it as any. And therein probably lies one of the reasons why so many New Year’s resolution fail. Why only pick January 1 to change your life? You can change your life on any given day – it’s YOUR choice, YOUR time.

I stopped making New Year’s resolutions a few years ago. Since I still like the idea of a “fresh start” a new year offers, I set New Year’s intentions instead. I think New Year’s resolutions are destined to fail, because there’s an inherent flaw in the term “resolution.”Continue Reading