Touch

Today I had the idea of recording the importance of touch as a demonstration of affection in relationships and once again our three cats became a part of the shoot.  If you know anything about cats, you know that they do not take direction well.  Actually, I believe that they are genetically programmed to do the complete opposite of what you want them to when it matters.  Anyway on to the topic.

I have always wondered how cats came to live amongst humans.  Some pets have a very specific purpose and you can see what led to them being incorporated into families; dogs offer protection, aid in hunting and farming; birds could indicate the presence of toxins in the air and perhaps could alert one to the presence of a stranger.  Cats present a bit of a puzzle - keep rats and mice away.  Maybe, but dogs could do that.  Why would humans chose to domesticate cats?  I would venture to guess low maintenance companionship.  In our household our cats are a part of our family whose purpose is to produce stuff to cleanup - just kidding!  They provide low maintenance companionship and love.  All they want in return, apart from food, water and shelter, is to be touched.  Asha likes to be touched and held, while Jessie and Simba need the occasional petting but require proximity - they always need to be near you if you are at home.  Jessie is always right next to or a few feet away from Vernell and the same is true of Simba with me.

Studies suggest that petting a cat can reduce stress in humans but it must do something for them as well as they crave touch so much.  Asha goes so far as to "auto-pet" on your leg or arm if you stop petting her too soon.  Touch is important to us all - if you love someone or something, show it!

Mystery

Looked at but cannot be seen - it is beneath form;
Listened to but cannot be heard - it is beneath sound;
Held but cannot be touched - it is beneath feeling;
These depthless things evade definition,
And blend into a single mystery.

In its rising there is no light,
In its falling there is no darkness,
A continuous thread beyond description,
Lining what can not occur;
Its form formless,
Its image nothing,
Its name silence;
Follow it, it has no back,
Meet it, it has no face.

Attend the present to deal with the past;
Thus you grasp the continuity of the Way,
Which is its essence.

-LaoTze-