Grabbing a Cat by the Tail

What can seem obvious

To one

Isn’t to another

Hindsight can be 20/20

Leaving us perplexed

By our inability

To see the consequences

Of our actions

Before choosing

What swiftly comes back to bite us

Scratch us

Cause us pain & suffering

Leaving us licking our wounds

And scratching our head

Wondering why we said what we said

Or did what we did.

 

Mark Twain with his great wit and wisdom wrote:  A person who picks up a cat by the tail has something to learn that only picking up a cat by the tail can teach.  I often use this quote to remind myself that the not-so-fun, dramatic and chaotic experiences that come my way are exactly what I need.  There is something each of these experiences has to teach me and if I allow them to raise my consciousness, make me more aware of what I say or the choices I make in all areas of my life, I get to use the crap instead of merely being a victim of my circumstances.  This is alchemizing the lead into gold, spinning the wounds into higher wisdom. 

My mom used to say to me over and over from childhood until my early 20’s:  Why do you have to learn things the hard way?  You are your own worst enemy!  This makes me chuckle because it is true and for years, the school of hard knocks was comfortable in the havoc it wreaked.  It was what I knew.   Chaos, drama, pain, extreme highs and lows plagued my days as I grabbed cat after cat by the tail.  I had no idea that I was the enemy, making choices that created the crazy that gripped the joy and abundance of life.

For over 20 years now, I make it a practice to be aware of my own crap as much as possible (we are all blind, unconscious at some level) – the choices I make that don’t feel good, that take me into a life that robs me of vitality and love for this wondrous and precious journey that I get to experience.  I am not demanding perfection rather inviting awareness and requiring truth through not bullshitting myself as to what honors my life and what doesn’t.  If I can drop into this level of consciousness before reacting, I usually avoid grabbing a cat by the tail and all that comes from that harsh experience.

I want my life to be easy.  This has been my intention as I entered 2013.  Not grabbing a cat by the tail makes my life easier.  When I can see that others are scratched, bruised and wounded from perpetual grabbing, I am happy to share what I know and offer advice based on my observations but I can’t stop another person from going into what is necessary for their soul’s growth.  It makes my life easy not to try and stop someone from choosing chaos, drama and pain.  It makes me sad to witness the unhappiness that springs from their choices, but I trust they are getting what they need as their highest Self is trying to jolt them into making new choices and taking a different course of action that frees their joy in living. 

Believing as I do that we are guided and assisted by messengers, angels, saints, a benevolent soul force which I call God, I ask for their assistance in freeing me and all to experience the joy and magnificence of this human odyssey.  I honor where I am in any given moment and this allows me to honor others as I have a deep respect for all that makes us human including being sliced, diced and harmed by our own choices. 

The invitation this day is be aware of when you grab a cat by the tail.  Go ahead and lick your wounds.  Reflect on what you want for your life.  Make choices that release you from those old patterns that create suffering, a sense of doing time here on earth instead of living a life that fills you with gratitude, peace, hope, love, joy and a boundless sense of awe that you get to live this life.