77. Cat Cat Cat

Today was a first for Cameron Trichel--he spent the afternoon in the presence of a CAT. Cameron was enamoured; he just kept saying, "Cat. Cat. Cat." with perfect little 'T' sounds. If the cat went away, he'd say, "Again!" If the cat went to the top of the cat tree, he'd say, "Down!" He chased after Philo round and round saying, "Pet. Pet." and "Cat. Cat." It was The Best. Not just because Cameron knows the word Cat and the meaning of Up, Down, and Pet, but because here you had someone who was truly amazed, totally uncertain, but still completely in love. If he was separated from his cat hunt, he was distraught, and with furrowed brow he would say, "Cat. Cat." in such a way that we could only understand him to be saying, "Oh no! Woe is me!"

We have all been so small.

As for Philo, I'm sure he felt a bit annoyed and tormented. Here was this uncontrollable and not-too-steady attacker. Smaller than his people, but larger than life just the same, always coming after him yelling repeatedly. So he would say to Cameron, in that endearing and very loud way that he has of asserting his presence and needs, "Mrrwauw!" To which Cameron would reply, "Meow."

It's hard to say whether they understood one another, but one thing is for certain--Cameron did not relent. It seems apparent that as one chases one's dreams, one could benefit from such a fresh perspective: to see obstacles as if never seen before, to chase happiness with such persistence as one would kick and scream if removed from the hunt. One's pursuit is not always easy; as one gets nearer the soft warm pet of one's soul, things move, change, collide, run...and sometimes screech and howl.

What the heart must do is to look things in the face, reach out, and roar back.