Connecting with other inhabitants of the planet can be a way out of this maelstrom. These are hard times. When we pay attention to the animal world, both physical and intangible, we find a path outside ourselves.

When I lived in California, I was a real “crazy cat lady”. It wasn’t all my fault. I was an Animal Protection Officer and when I picked up a cat, I tried to find the owners. I’d register her as found. If I couldn’t find the owners, I would take her home then re-home her. I didn’t pick up that many cats. That, and the fact that I lived across Sebastopol Hwy. from the worst pet owners in the world. Their cats roamed, had no vaccinations, and bred like rabbits. I ended up with the ones who survived. Then there were the cats that just showed up. There must have been a secret cat signal – “She’s a sucker for cats.”