Today I’m rushing around trying to get things done before I head outta town. I start out with a list of errands to accomplish. I’m realizing as I’m driving that I’ve forgotten most of the things I was supposed to drop off somewhere or do something with. I start to giggle. I can’t help it.  Luckily, a little later on, I have to pass by my neighborhood to finish my errands, so this works out — I giggle some more. One of my errands is washing a rug I recently purchased at a yard sale. So I take it to the carwash and unroll it over the roof of my car, which takes forever coz it’s so big and bulky, and I’m feeling pretty silly next to all these guys who are washing and buffing their very spiffy looking vehicles.

I’m giggling and trying to push this big rug — have you ever tried to push a big rug while unrolling it over the roof of your car? It’s pretty crazy!  So, I’m giggling more and more at my attempt at the silliest impossible thing, and after about 15 minutes of pushing and shoving and laughing at myself, this young guy comes over and says, “Would you like some help?” I start laughing even more coz underneath his very kind gesture, he’s got this incredulous look in his eyes, like, lady, are you nuts?!

Just at the moment he arrives at my rescue, I have somehow managed to get this honker rug on top of my car, all rolled out and ready to be washed, scrubbed, rinsed, minced, diced, dried, waxed, etc.  So, I control my giggles just long enough to say, “Thanks, but I think I got it.”

He smiles real big, maybe of relief, and says as he turns to go, “Let me know if you need any help.”

“I will,” I promise, feeling good about his willing attitude — coz at the rate I’m going, I just might have to take him up on it.

I start spraying away with this power pressure hose thing — suds are flying everywhere — my hair and clothes are getting a nice soap-down. I’m giggling, of course. I somehow actually get some soap on the rug. Then comes the rinse and I’m out of quarters! Egad! I start laughing coz I can’t open my car doors with this big, gloppy, soapy mess covering up all the orifices. And there is no way I’m gonna take this blob home with me!

I’m standing there, staring at my car door (or what would be my car door, if I had X-ray vision) and, you know, giggling. I’m too embarrassed to ask that sweet guy if I can borrow a few quarters, so I struggle some more and get myself even more soapy, but I manage to get my car door to open about half an inch — just enough to reach in and grapple through my change bin for those precious quarters that keep sliding out my slippery, soapy fingers. I finally get a hold of 8 more quarters, and with a sigh of relief and another giggle, off I go with the power rinse cycle.

At almost zero point, I’m dousing this rug with this, like, 10-ton hydraulic pressure thing, feeling like I’m wrangling a giant python or something. I can’t help but laugh and hope no one’s watching. Yeah, right!

Believe it or not, I get finished with the rinse cycle with little mishap. Whew! Then I stand there staring at my car, adorned with a very clean rug. “Hmmm. . . now what do I do?,” I ask myself. That rug is now even more impossible to move. “Well,” I deduce, “that thing ain’t going nowhere. I might as well just drive it home like this.”

With a happy little giggle (I swear, I’m not high on anything, other than my own hare-brained ideas and their consequences), I climb into the car, getting dripped on and smooshed with wet rug. And off I go! Of course, I can’t see through any windows or the rear windshield, but I figure, hey, I don’t live very far.

I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. That crazy thing flew off like a kite in a wind storm! YIKES! Now I could see through the windows, but I couldn’t see through my tears of laughter! I just couldn’t believe it! I snorted and chortled and found a place to pull over and turn around.

So there I was, parked in the left-turn lane, my emergency flashers on — this wild Indian pulling at this blob of wet tonnage! What little strength I had left was drained by my laughter. I just couldn’t help it. I kept laughing and laughing and pulling and yanking and pushing and getting wetter and wetter. Then this car pulls up behind me and I’m thinking, “Oh, how sweet, someone’s gonna help me.” But then, he makes a left turn. Ding-dang!!!!

Then this young guy appears out of nowhere, with a small back pack and a big, white grin and says, “Can I help you?”

I’m laughing, and nodding and he smiles. We actually get that thing inside my car and he’s about to disappear and I say, “Hey, you wanna ride?”

And he says, “No, I need the exercise.”

“Oh, com’on!” I insist.

He pauses and looks me up and down and says, “Well, you don’t look like a serial killer.”

I laugh and reply with a devilish grin, “Looks don’t always convey the truth.” He got in anyway.

I gave him a ride to the dollar store and said, “By the way, you know anyone that wants a kitten?” since one of my errands that day is to find homes for 3 kittens!!!

He looks at me and smiles and says, “I was just thinking about adopting one.”

“Wow! How serendipitous!” I exclaim.

So, I’m about to drive off, and then I realize that one of my errands is to get cat litter. So, I re-park my heavily sodden car, and jump out and get cat litter. I’m at the check-out and some guy jumps ahead of me with some stuff he’s buying and he says to me, “Sorry, I had forgotten something and I had to go back.”

“Oh sure!” I giggle at him, “I’ve heard that before!”

“Just for that,” he retorts, “I’m gonna pay for your cat litter!”  This is a true story!

“Ok,” I say, “but I’m gonna help you carry your stuff to your car.”

“Nope,” he says, “I’m a gentleman.”  I’m giggling as I grab my free cat litter, and open the door for him.

“Hey,” I call after him, “do you want a kitten?”

thanks to: http://images.yourdictionary.com/carwash for picture

Somehow your story, my story, the story of the particular place you find yourself in as you read this—all stories—have conspired to bring us together in this moment to receive one another. And each story in its uniqueness is coming from that which is universal. You are the freedom, you are the truth, you are the peace, you are the luminosity that animates your story and every story in your consciousness, known and unknown. I meet you here. I celebrate you here.

—– Gangaji

thanks to  www.marriagelifeministries.org for photo

About 4 weeks ago I looked out my back door and found a feral cat standing right there with a bundle of kitten fur dangling from her mouth. She looked straight into my eyes and said, “Aren’t you gonna let me in?” So, of course, I did.

She scurried in with her precious cargo, deposited it carefully in a corner of my living room, kissed the little fur ball, affirmed that he was safe, then hurried to the back door to be let out again. I knew what was coming next, so I quickly found a box and put my old soft sweat pants in the bottom of it and lifted tiny tiger into it as it squeaked at me through squinty eyes. I ran to the back door and there she was, with another furry blob in her mouth. She walked very briskly and business-like and found the first one safe in the box. She seemed pleased with the arrangement but no time to inspect the new digs, she spent about a minute kissing and coddling the new arrival then was off to the back door again. Four babies in all found their way into my home that day on the risky hope of a brave mama.

I had noticed two weeks earlier that a very pregnant alley cat was no longer great with children. And I wondered if the babies were ok and safe. Well, I guess I could stop wondering now! I sat beside the box a couple of feet away to make sure wild mama didn’t feel threatened. She relaxed and nursed her tiny brood. They could just barely scoot themselves to where their noses led them to nourishment and comfort. Mama seemed to sigh in relief as she looked at me through her relaxed eyes and laid her head down on her new bed. She breathed deeply.

I was overcome with so many feelings all at once. I felt like I was handed a gift. The gift of being trusted. A huge gift! A semi-wild animal feeling safe enough to bring the most important thing in her life into my space and company — I felt so honored! I was grateful to be able to witness the miracle of life in its purest form happening right before my eyes. I felt happy. Just being so close to all that new energy was extremely contagious. Listening to those four wee creatures making tiny suckling noises and squeaky eruptions made me giggle. I felt relieved too, because I knew her babies would be safe.

I felt the thrill of a new adventure. You know, that feeling you get when something out of the blue happens to you that you couldn’t have prepared for and you just have to go with the flow and let go of all control and say, “OK, life, I’m in. Let’s go.” Not knowing how or what or when or for how long. It’s that deliciously slippery place between excitement and nervous energy. You have to let your heart fly ahead and lead the way. It’s the only way to survive without relinquishing your sense of sanity. And when you let go of the questions, it becomes the ride of your life! Things just fall into place better than you could’ve planned. You become part of the miracle. You feel the surge of the river flow through you — that invisible force that seems to carry life forward when we let it.

These past four weeks, I’ve had the sweet privilege of seeing wobbly legs take their first tenuous steps, falling into squirmy heaps of fur and surprised satisfaction. I’ve watched the vigilance of strong love and instinct guard and nurture the innocent.

One evening, mama cat started pacing around her kitten’s cardboard box home. She acted funny and strangely nervous. I was a bit concerned and confused so I sat down close to her babies and reassured her a few times, “Everything’s all right. You’re safe. Your babies are safe.” She looked at me in disbelief and I felt slightly hurt. It was the first time she breached her trust in me. She kept pacing.

Then it hit. A thunderstorm came on suddenly, and she didn’t like it. Luckily, I love thunderstorms, so I remained calm and reassuring. The babies seemed to not even notice. Then KABOOM! A huge thunderbolt seemed to hit my window. It sizzled and crackled and shook the house! WOW! It was fabulous! Mama cat fixed her gaze on me and stood stock still. I smiled at her and said, “We’re OK.” She paused there and looked at me for several seconds then leapt up to the chair beside her box of precious stones and, contented at last, laid her body down.

thanks to:  www.tumblr.com and http://acidcow.com/pics/20805-cats-100-pics.html for photos