Photo:  Pam White

Nikita is a cat of the moment.  He is a cat who savors, who to my eye is completely, deeply a part of everything.  I was going to say that he is fully immersed, but that feels wrong because it implies that there is a body of water and another body.  Watching Niki does not feel like there is any separation.  He sleeps outside the garage, which makes me nervous, but also gives me many opportunities to see him during the day as my study is just outside of the garage.  He is a seamless part of the space and the time, and his breathing feels to me like the breathing of the moment.

Yesterday he slept almost all day on the horse blanket that I had washed and laid over the chairs outside to dry.  It was windy, and each time I walked by the blanket had changed shape, wrapping and folding Niki – who did not move –  in different ways.  He was not disturbed.

Maybe that is the lesson from this lovely, steady being who has lived with us for sixteen years.  Do not be disturbed.  The wind will blow and your sleeping place may not always be peaceful, but be still.  Settle, breathe, rest.  All is well.