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Last December, David and I faced the difficult decision of letting our sweet cat, Lacey, cross the rainbow bridge. She was 14 years old, and while her spirit was still strong, her body was telling us it was time to say goodbye. Several weeks after her passing, we visited the Scott County Humane Society and I immediately fell in love with an eight-week-old diluted calico kitten who has already captured our hearts.

Appropriately named “Tipsy” (for the cute white tips on her ears and feet, of course), her sweet lifeforce immediately enhanced our household, and I would find myself looking forward to getting home even more these days to be greeted by this ball of fur. Here are some reminders she provides to us daily:

1)    Play hard. Rest hard. Tipsy has two modes – turbo-charged and dead asleep. When I’m at work, I want to be 110% in! And when I’m home, it’s appropriate and necessary to rest, and rest well. “Too busy” should not be a badge of honor. And, in order to be our best at work and for the people we love, our best selves are our rested selves.

2)    Sometimes we need to just hold space for one another. Tipsy’s mere presence and closeness in proximity automatically creates content and peace for me. I want to be that to other people. I strive for people to feel safe in the energy I put out. And sometimes, talking is not necessary. The sweet sounds of a purr speak louder than any words.

3)    Not everyone is a lover…love them anyway. Our five-year-old cat, Linx, has been so good about the new addition. However, there are plenty of times he doesn’t wish to play or have Tipsy love him. His resistant attitude does not waver her. She continues to think he’s the best thing in the world, and where I find Linx, I will almost always find Tipsy right next to him.

4)    When there’s whipped cream, don’t hold back! Tipsy knows what she wants! And shouldn’t we all? We only live once…so buy the shoes and eat the dessert. We could all benefit from a little more persistence and courage.