Wow. Gratitude is the word.

People need people. We need them to teach us things, to show us compassion, understanding, humility. We need them to surprise us and we need them as mirrors.

I am grateful for the people in my life.

 

SOO. Sardines cured my cat.

It’s the worst thing seeing an animal, nevertheless YOUR animal, suffer. I imagine this is what its like to have a person kid, but never mind.

A week ago Monday morning, Kiedis was having some tummy troubles. He’d growl at this bum, lick it obsessively, and sit on the litter box for minutes at a time like he was scrolling the ‘gram. He also let out some of the saddest sounds I had ever heard. I, being me, went right to the Googs.

Looked like little Kie was constipated. (#2, and thank god. “If a cat is not peeing, it is a medical emergency,” the vet tech nervously repeated over the phone. YEA, THANKS. GOT IT. I already knew this; Google. But there I was, 7pm and in for the night watching to see if Kiedis peed.)

The next day at our appointment, the vet didn’t seem too concerned and suggested he get more water and fiber into his diet. The vet tech felt bad for freaking me out and gave me a new carrier to take home. LOL.

I changed his dry food, got lots of salmon/tuna/whitefish cans, added water and coconut oil to food and paws. Asked a friend about the best brands to buy. Asked the friendly Petco people. A couple days later, I could tell he was recovering but still aggravated.

I have a studio apartment, so my cats are my roommates. When they’re upset, they’re always in front of me. Not downstairs, or closed in the bathroom, or hiding under the bed. His upset was my upset.

Saturday, I left work for 10 minutes during a double to check on him.

Sunday, I spoke about it with a client. She shared her pet worries and I mine. A dog lady and pet lover of all kinds, she suggested sardines. She stopped feeding Sara* sardines when her stools were too loose. So maybe they would help Kiedis go.

*dog’s name has been changed.

On Sundays, my massages are back to back, medical massages, mostly covered by insurance. 45-50 minutes with a few minutes in between to discuss, share stretches, talk about nutrition, and change sheets before the next client.

I must have been changing the sheets with the door mostly closed to the office. It helps me to recharge my energies, prepare for the next treatment. Stretch. Breathe. A few moments of silence.

When I went back out to the desk, I found these:

I was in awe.

It’s amazing what a little extra effort can do for a person’s day. What she did for mine was let a little extra hope and love and light in. Of course, I could have gotten them myself – stopped off at the health food store on my way home and picked up some sardines for little Kied, but now I didn’t have to. One less thing.

At the studio in Huntington village, my treatments have been mostly quiet, the room super dark, (pseudo) candles lit, a sound machine playing ocean waves over the music. All things set to promote the most relaxing environment. To diminish chatter and focus on healing.

Here, within the fitness center, I leave it up to the client. There are some, like my Sardine Fairy, who come to chat. We do deep breathing exercises throughout the treatment but I don’t shush them, as talking is often part of their emotional healing process (while I work on the physical part).

Round and round we go, gratitude exuding more gratitude. It’s the only ride I want to be on, and I’m thankful for every part of it.

Here’s to one of my favorite quotes, from a movie called happythankyoumoreplease (yea, all one word) :): “With gratitude the universe is eternally abundant.”

Watch:

And maybe you’ll choose to give gratitude a shot – not because you want something, but because you really are “thankful.”