The Cat Lady

Sparti does not like Ajax. He doesn't appreciate him and he doesn't he think he's cute. When Sparti is around, I see a lot of wild eyes and twitching tails.

But Ajax? He loves Sparti. He gets so excited when he sees him. (Ajax is in a cage to keep him safe when Sparti's around.) Ajax puts his little paw through the bars and paws at Sparti as if to say, "Please come play with me!" And then he desperately pokes his little nose through the bars, trying his best to get as close to Sparti's face as possible.

It's so adorable.

But Sparti? He just hisses and growls.

Yesterday I took off a half day of work to attend a wedding.

A year ago January I worked for Hope Chest as they lost their director and needed Conquer a Cove organized (a 5K race that is centered around the MPA campus). As I was only working part-time for the school, I hesitantly agreed as I've never exactly been the event planner sort. But I had a great team and we pulled it off without a hitch. Anyway, about the time we held the 5K, they hired a new director: Sara. We quickly became fast friends. Sara is one of those people who has the weirdest things happen to her and shares the most unbelievable stories. We worked side by side after Conquer a Cove was over for about a month and spent many hours swapping stories over lunch out on the patio. And then my month was over and I started working for Buncombe County and that was that.

But? Sara hired Savana as her assistant and so Sara has continued to be part of our lives. When Savana was in the hospital for six days, Sara was right there by my side, asking if I needed anything, bringing food, staying overnight with Savana so we could get some sleep...She was the truest of friends in that moment. She made all the difference.

So the wedding we attended? It was Sara's. And it was beautiful. When we first walked in, she had a program laid out on a table with packages of kleenex. I thought, "I'm not going to cry--no need." And then the wedding started and I'm pretty sure I didn't stop crying until the entire party had exited the building.

Whatcha gonna do...

Once I got home I cleaned my house and got utterly lost in time as before I knew it, three hours had flown by...but the good news? My house smells clean. The floors are mopped so that I won't have to throw a wet washcloth on the floor and use my foot to scrub the sticky spots for awhile. And that's a good thing.

About the time I finished, Jace asked if I wanted to go for a walk while he rode his scooter.

Erin was telling me recently how, if Steve doesn't want to play with her boys, they start singing Cats in the Cradle and it works like a charm.

And so, with Cats in the Cradle running through my mind, I readily agreed (as I am easily guilted as well) but really...who doesn't want to hear a 13 year old perspective on life? He chattered away about school and friends and life as he knows it. I laughed and grinned and burst the whole way.

So here I am. It's Saturday morning and I am hanging out in my living room, watching Sparti and Ajax. Sparti is determined to get Ajax's food out, pebble by pebble, with his paw, while Ajax watches from as much distance as he can get. Sparti has more than made his feelings known. I am fighting myself to resist the urge to go back to the Humane Society and get another kitten so that Ajax has a playmate. Rejection is a tough row to hoe and that's all poor Ajax has gotten from Sparti. But my word...I don't want to be the cat lady! And I could be -- in a heartbeat.

I love cats.

But I figure I will just conquer the urge day by day until, finally, Ajax is all grown up and can take care of himself.

And maybe next time I go to a wedding I will be a bit wiser and grab those Kleenex on my way in.

Because? Well, life is about the little things. It's about the every day, and the mundane, and the regular. But sometimes we celebrate new life and new love. And sometimes we spend our days washing dishes and driving to work, the radio blaring our favorite song. But through it all, what's most important is that we're present and aware and alive and with those we love the most in this world.

Because in the end, that's what makes life worth living.