Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14: 27
The one advantage that Susie and Delia have over me everyday–they don’t pay attention to the news. They don’t read the newspaper. They don’t watch TV. They’re not on a computer and from what I see, they don’t even listen to daily podcasts. Some might say that they’re “uninformed“. Maybe, they’re “enlightened.”
Lately, my peace quotient is computed by measuring daily life occurrences divided by number of MSNBC talking heads.* The formula can be altered exponentially by number of tweets, pages of newspaper print or clicks on the computer screen. *The PQ doesn’t improve by switching channels.
When I watch either Susie or Delia curled like labyrinths in a chair and sleeping peacefully during the day and I witness their inverse in myself, I remind myself that there are better things to do with my time than overdose on worry.
There are people to spend time with. There are beautiful spaces and days to spend outside. There are park benches to sit and reflect.
There is always my morning “prayer chair” to sit with Susie.
Susie and Delia are constant reminders that God doesn’t provide us with dawn to check the earliest Tweet. It is still that moment when light descends from darkness and gives us our first glimmer of hope.
That’s the moment I rest in knowing that peace not worry will accompany me throughout the day.
The Labyrinth of a Cat’s Life
