As aging beings, feline EmmaRose and I are forgoing the way we once lived. More and more, our bodies surprise. Less and less is there any choice involved.
It feels as if we are living a routine of no routine, easier for me to accept than for EmmaRose (ER).
Always, she lives in the moment— I can only aspire—that I appreciate if not readily accept impermanence may be an advantage.
Regardless, it is our breath, that “fundamental unit of risk” taking us into one experience and out of another. For ER, breath is a no-brainer.
I, on the other hand, either open myself to what is occurring or attach to a related thought often involving finance, relationship, security, or all three.
It is ER’s mindfulness that brings me back to the moment, taking myself out of me and into a broader experience. The “what ifs” dissipate in favor of focus.
Increasingly, ER is uncertain of her surroundings or what it was that brought her into the next room. I know the feeling. Most of the time, I shrug and give up without concern, as ER once did.
Now, she continues to wander unless I help her to return to the familiar. Some days, I find it for both of us.
Aim for Even posts offer equanimity in daily doses. No day or dose is ever the same, even if the aim is. You may read about the origins of Aim for Even here or on this site’s About page.