Finding Purpose as a Cat Trampoline

My True Purpose

Nothing interrupts a peaceful night’s slumber quite like a cat hurtling through the air to land smack dab on the most delicate parts of your anatomy, putting 10 times their normal weight behind the leap. Yet there I was, in the wee hours of the morning; the trampoline of choice for not only Artemis, who barely weighs 7 pounds, but 11 1/2 pound Scrappy Doo, and worse, Ishy the chonk! I’m only guessing, but she’s at least 15 pounds of solid, hyperactive cat! Clearly, I misunderstand my true purpose around here!

They couldn’t have staged their circus routine on a night when I was already restless anyway. Noooo! They waited for a night when I was deep in dreamland, blissfully oblivious to my crazy, topsy-turvy world for a few, precious hours. Was I taking up too much of the bed? Did my snoring waken them from their own feline dreams? Were they missing the sound of jackhammers outside my window at the crack of dawn, and decided to recreate the cacophony and chaos themselves? The minds of my feline family are perplexing at best.

Wild, Crazy Dreams

Admittedly, my dreams have been less than restful the last few days, but I’ve been sleeping for longer stretches, and don’t typically move a lot when I’m sleeping. What set the little acrobats off this morning is a mystery. The real kicker, though, is once they’d scarfed down their morning serving of wet food, they all found spots around the living room to take a post-acrobatic snooze, now that I’m wide awake, and able to administer skritches at will!

Granted, there have been times I was grateful for the rude awakening, as disturbing dreams made for a less-than-restful night. If only they could tell the difference! Who knows? Maybe their antics did coincide with one from which I needed to awaken. If so, I don’t remember now. Being abruptly awakened tends to drive a dream out of my consciousness faster than anything else, and when combined with a demanding furball or two (Artemis, in particular will shove her face into my hand if I fail to respond promptly to her need for attention), whatever dream which might have corralled my unconscious mind is long gone, taking all its tendrils with it.

At least I’m wide awake, and ready to not only field whatever comes my way work-wise, but get a couple of the newer line dances solidified in my already overloaded brain before tonight.  Looking at tonight’s play list, there are no fewer than eight relatively new ones, plus two brand new ones in tonight’s lessons. I’m amazed my brain can still remember even 75% of the ballet choreography these days, it’s so overloaded with line dance choreo! Admittedly, line dance choreo is easier for me because a lot of it is 8-count patterns which have become part of my brain matter after over 30 years of line dancing!

Grateful for Every Aspect of My Life

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for my furry family, even if they interrupt my sleep because early morning is play time.
2. I’m grateful for all the mental challenges as it keeps me young and spry-ish.
3. I’m grateful for plenty of opportunities to dance, walk, and otherwise move this older, but still active body of mine.
4. I’m grateful for the steps I’m taking out of my comfort zone which allow me to dance more again.
5. I’m grateful for a job that keeps my mind working overtime, and serves to offset the rest of my activities (and fund them too!)

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.