becoming a little more foxy
Now that I’ve caught your attention… :)
I’ve found that the realm of spirituality is actually quite expansive and surprising.
We can make meaning from the simplest of life’s moments. I have often been surprised by the “mundane” revealing deep spiritual insight. This letter is just that, my surprise at being inspired by my cat.
Last week was my kitten Foxy’s first birthday, marking 7 months that she has been living with me. In reflecting on my time with her and the cute little traits I've noticed I came to realize that I had infused some of my own goals and hopes in her. Some of her characteristics mirrored intentions I had set for how I want to live my life.
She had become a symbol for parts of myself that I wanted to live out.
I describe my little black and white fluffball as “a cat that looks like a cow, acts like a dog, and is named after a fox”. Foxy is this blend of characteristics: she is clever, silly and little wily- like a fox, she is affectionate, playful, and trusting- like a dog, she is verbal of her needs, knowing the rest/work balance- like any cat, and she is stubbornly persistent- like a cow.
She has become this symbol, this active reminder of those qualities that I want to lean into.
Watching her run to greet the next visitor at my door by flopping on her side and inviting her belly to be pet is my sign of openness and trust.
It reminds me that I want to be more open and trust that, despite a hard season, good things can be in my future.
Seeing her at play, trying to outwit her toys, or find some clever way to sneak into a room she’s not allowed to be in is my sign of creative exploration. She reminds me that I can trust my creativity and imagination to forge new opportunities.
I think many of us know the benefits of having pets, those reminders to be present, to rest, to play, to find some grounding in the soft cuddle. What I didn’t expect was to learn so much about myself in watching her. To see facets of myself, to see reminders of intentions I had set, like beautiful gifts of encouragement.
I don’t know why I am so surprised, maybe it's actually that I am just feeling gratitude for small windows of these characteristics that I am intentionally growing in myself.
We can make meaning from the simplest of life’s activities and moments.
Many find a sense of our grounding from nature.
I might spend time in the trees, as a desire to feel more rooted.
I might spend time floating in the lake, embodying the sense of freedom and flow that it evokes.
I’m going to embody more of that creative, trusting Foxy energy… how about you?
What parts of nature, (maybe it’s even your pet) strike you as symbolic of what you are desiring to grow in yourself?
May our play nourish us, enliven us, ground us in the present that we may remember our truest selves.
And let me know what you tried! I’d love to hear from you.
-RH
