Mellow Out--Lessons Learned From Household Cats is a fun read that explores the influence cats have on our lives. The book delves into twenty areas where their behavior provides a calming effect. Each section begins with a quote that reflects mainstream thinking on the topic. This is followed by comments on how this concept plays out in society, and then, how the cats respond. Finally, there is a discussion on how to use the behaviors of the cats to improve our lives. The broad themes of the book focus on how to take care of ourselves, how to tolerate adversity and how to embrace our emotions. Topics include such things are dealing with
getting high, being overweight, love, and brown-nosing at your place of employment.
More Information about Mellow Out--Lessons Learned From Household Cats can be found by clicking here
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A strong friendship doesn’t need daily conversation or being together. As long as the relationship lives in the heart, true friends never part.
Anonymous
Chapter 19
Friendship Requires Work
In 1968, after completing three years, nine months and twenty-seven days, I received my early discharge from the United States Air Force so that I could attend San Jose State University (it was a college back in those days). Since money was very tight, I would hang out in a church-run coffee shop called Jonah’s
Whale. Liberal college students, some ex-military and some people who were into drugs frequented the place—after all, it was the 60’s.
I loved to talk about politics, and I spent most of my time with a guy named Al. Even though there was pressure about ending the Vietnam War, I still believed in the American dream and that our military was keeping us safe. However, the transition was beginning, and within the year, I would be involved in peace marches. In fact, there was a huge march in San Francisco, and I walked behind a flatbed truck where the Jefferson Airplane was playing.
My friendship with Al continued to grow. We played chess, we talked and we took road trips. Graduation came; I got married and started a family. We would see each other a couple of times a year. In 2007, we decided to have monthly dinners together. At first, they were random places; then we established goals.
Our first goal was to eat at all the restaurants on the Capitola Wharf. When that was completed, we decided to eat at all of the restaurants in downtown Campbell and finally all the restaurants between Campbell Avenue and Stevens Creek Boulevard—a five-mile strip.
We kind of got off schedule and I wrote an email to Al in November of 2011, but he never responded. I later found out that he had died from a heart attack. The point of all this is that long-term friendships are great,
and most of us have very few of them. The friendship between Al and myself grew.
It was a bit different with my cats. The Mitzer didn’t like Willie—end of story, period. Willie would sit next to the Mitzer and the Mitzer would hiss and hiss. This would happen day after day. The bedroom would be dark and the Mitzer would be on the bed with me. I would be petting her. All of a sudden, there would be this low growl and Willie would appear right next to the Mitzer. No matter what we did, Willie would always be there.
Willie is a kitten, and he wants to play, and since the Mitzer is ten years old, she has different ideas.
However, recently things have changed. Willie attacks the Mitzer and they both kind of hit at each other.
You can tell that they are playing because the growling has stopped and their claws aren’t out. The other
day, my wife was asleep and Willie and the Mitzer were sleeping in my spot on the bed. They were less than six inches apart, and I think that they have finally become friends.
The cats became friends because Willie worked at their friendship. In our world, we have good friends at work or in our neighborhood, then we change jobs or move to another area and these friendships go by the wayside. We move on.
I worked with this woman for several years and she got a job out of the area. Of course, we lost touch with each other. A decade later, I saw her at a conference and told her I was so happy to see her again. She
gave me her new address and phone number and said that I would probably never call or write. Unfortunately, she was right. I never called.
My cats remind me that friendships just don’t continue. You have to work to keep them alive.
