Perspective - On A Thread

Getting ready for a trip to Switzerland, on Sunday I was feeling good about things, loving my life, my husband, my cats, my home and knowing I had plenty of time to get ready.
Then in the blink of an eye, this little darling, Kelly decided after 12 years of being around my needlepoint and never bothering with it, to get a thread (about 24 inches) in her mouth when my head was turned! By the time I got to her all I could do was grab the needle before it when down her throat! The vet suggested we get her to the Animal Medical Center before the thread had a chance to leave her stomach, we did and thankfully after a stressful afternoon and evening we got word that the thread came out via an endoscope, that she could come home Monday morning.
The thought that my action with the thread had caused this and then we were going to be leaving her for a trip, well I fell into a pretty deep hole Sunday night, which Chris did a great job of helping helping me out of that night. I am so happy to report that amazingly she shows no adverse affects. I credit the care by the AMC staff, Kelly is super-duper shy and I was afraid she would be traumatized. Her mom, Lana was a different story on Monday, she was mad at Kelly and her son Luke, she was hissing and spitting but that today is better. So take two on the getting ready, I still very much love my life, my husband, my cats, my home and look forward to Switzerland, we have a great person to look after things in our absence.
So here is Miss Kelly, snuggling with her favorite pillow today.

Discipline or not

I did not make any notes after our Ohio trip, not because we didn't have a great time, we did. I am learning a lot about myself, one thing is that self-discipline may not be a hidden attribute.
One aspect of my life that I am feeling very unsettled about is cynicism, I am happy (?) to report. Without giving away TMI about my childhood, I learned somehow not to look forward to events, to trust that things would work out or to think that being with people could be fun without some deep sadness to come. I am now suspecting that my job as a journalist reaffirmed all of that and added a general distain for anything that smacked of joy. I am still looking at things with those same distrustful eyes but there is something that is speaking-up; about positive things, it says "hey, leave it be, enjoy it, don't say something sarcastic" and for bad news it says "have a good thought for somebody involved and turn away."
I know this is so sappy and corny, it is a good thing very few people, if any read this. It is very exciting for me, I am enjoying the times that I play with just being and enjoying the things and people around me.
This feeling was very strong in Ohio, around Amy and Jenny, their friends and community. Here's a fun moment at the art show with Jenny and Ryan with us as Amy talked up the art in the background; close-up of a polar bear that Ryan felted and Chris bought as a talisman for his upcoming Greenland adventure; Amy with the wonderful James and Ellie; one of the doggies that stars in a illustrated book, peeking from under the table during the book launch; and finally Chris and I before the waterfall that give Chagrin Falls its name (and I am NOT thinking 'how tacky!')