The beauty of simplicity
I used to have a daily writing practice. In college, mostly when I lived in Hilltop Apartments, I would wake up and write every morning before going to classes, work, etc. When I wrote daily, it helped my mind to feel more at ease; also, I felt like I better understood myself and the things going on around me because I had time every day to transcribe the jumbled mess inside my head. To organize it and create patterns of thought. To be insightful, even. Or, sometimes, just be creative.
Nowadays, I am rushed through the day. I push snooze until I have just enough time to sip some coffee, dress, check my email, and make my lunch. Sometimes I don't even have time to do that. I live with someone else, so their things are all around the apartment, mingling with mine in obvious disarray. The constant upkeep and piling up of things has made my mind cloudy and dim. There is not a lot of room for the creative spark of life, let alone the time for it.
However, on this morning I have some extra time. Albeit, I had to come into the haven of the bedroom to escape the loving, frisky claws of my new kitten, Zen, so I could write without constant disruption. Speaking of which, they, being my two cats, are exactly why I wanted to write this morning. Last Friday, my boyfriend brought home two kittens: one boy and one girl. As I walked in the door after an extremely long, stormy day, my heart melted in an instant. I was rapt. All it took was a milisecond and fell in love with two scared, skittish furballs with hazel eyes.
We decided to name then Zen and Aum. Zen is the boy and Aum is the girl. For those of you who don't know the origins of their names, Zen is a Buddhist terminology, meaning, simply that enlightenment can come through meditation rather than faith alone. Aum is the female, and her name, also spelled Om, is the Hindu symbol of the Absolute. It is said to be the vibration of the universe. These may not seem like particularly fitting names for two frisky kitties, however, the way they make me feel inside every time I wake up and walk out of the bedroom in the morning or the first time Zen sat on my lap... that is much like their names. The way they look when they are sleeping, the way they find pure, simple joy in batting around a ball or taking a nap. The innocent clumsiness of their playfulness. The love that wells up inside of me for two living things: this is zen and all of it is om.
Although I am hiding out in my bedroom right now so I can write this, it does not mean I dislike their presence or affection; I just need a break once in awhile, so I can still be alone. Knowing they are there, in the next room makes all the difference. It has changed who I am from wake to sleep, because my thoughts include their well-being, love and affection, and happiness and bliss from touching their smooth noses, hearing Zen's purr, seeing Aum's pretty eyes start to slowly close when she gets sleepy, and dealing with the more unpleasant parts of ownership like constant maintenance of the litter box, claw marks, disciplining, and the unceasing worry about their health and happiness.
In all the chaos and whirlwind there is peace. Their names are Zen and Aum.
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