People, I love my cats. Adore them. I keep hearing things like, just wait till the baby comes, you won’t even know they’re there anymore.

I take these comments with a grain of salt, smile, nod and disregard. Because, clearly, they don’t know me and my cats. My cats are part of my People. They are my messengers, my little orange fluffs of unspoken wisdom that I find pretty crucial to my everyday existence.

They keep me in check. They know. They’re never trying to get to there. They simply are there.

Today, I got caught up. In the busyness. In the, holy omfg so much to do and HOW to get it done?! and just when I thought I had gotten a grip, my dryer stopped working.

Correction, it works. It just has no heat. And I was pissed. I came up here to tell you just how pissed and annoyed I was and how DARE that GD Kenmore f up while I’m PREGNANT. Really!

I sat down here and started to type when Johnny Barnes jumped up in my lap. She quickly then jumped up on the desk, sprawling out on my laptop. Ready for her nap. Purring. Staring at me. Eyes half closed. Staring more, slow blinks. So calm. So content.

I moved her, even more annoyed.

She jumped back up. More purrs and loving looks at me. And that’s when I thought, this is it. THIS is what I should be doing instead.

I took Johnny Barnes’ advice. And I just sat here, staring back at her, petting her soft forehead, breathing long and deep. Slowing down.

The busyness doesn’t matter and neither does a Kenmore. These things will come and go and be fixed. But taking this time to be more deliberate, less annoyed … just here … this does matter.