Raining Cats and Dogs?

Today is keeping its promise to be a rainy day. You might even say that it has rained cats and dogs out there. Or you might not...but there are cats and a dog in my house, much to the dismay of the resident felines! You see, today the World's Okay-est Runner ran a half-marathon, and tomorrow her soon-to-be-husband will be running a full marathon (they are pretty impressive, no?), 

so we have our grand-dog for the weekend! Isn't he a cutie?

Even the cats agree that he is cute! Well, in all honesty, that may be an exaggeration. There is one cat that we may not see again until the dog leaves. We know that she is still here, because we hear her constant growling and hissing from under the couch, under the beds and under the chair. She is not pleased. Not. Pleased. At. All. The older cat is a bit more tolerant. In fact, we had a moment of calm, cat-on-lap time this morning!

Then Alvin brought us his toy, and asked us to play...

She was not impressed...lol!

But she tolerated it...for a bit. I feel like that is just what I do, too. I tolerate it (whatever "it" happens to be in each moment) and do my best to get on with life. The real test of tolerance, however, is not how much I am able to tolerate before I run, hissing and spitting, to the ends of the earth. The real test is how I live my life right here, despite what is going on around me.

Do I set consistent boundaries with negative people, refusing to be pulled into their drama? Most of the time. Do I allow myself to be sucked into situations where I know I will be tempted to behave badly? Sometimes. Do I entertain the lies in my head...the ones telling me that I am not good enough, or smart enough, or happy enough? More times than I would like to admit.

Life seems to be always invading my space. Sometimes I dream of being able to do what I want, when I want, and with whom I want, forever. I remember thinking once that this would be one of the perks of being an adult. Life, however, counters with all the jobs that need to be done (paying gigs and other tasks), and people who need to be loved. How well do I tolerate that?

Most days I do pretty well. Other days, I need to remind myself that I am thankful...for everything. I am thankful that I have a warm home, clothes to wear and enough to eat. I am thankful to have a job, and a paycheck, and a sense of purpose. I am thankful to have friends, old and new, who love me and lift me up. I am thankful that I live in a place where my relationship with Jesus is legal and well-tolerated by others, even those who do not walk the same path (most of the time). Oh, and I am thankful for knitting, my meditative exercise of choice! (If only knitting burned more calories...!)

I think that I tolerate more, and I generally behave better, when I am thankful. Therefore I am constantly striving to make it my way of life. As Thanksgiving approaches, I am especially grateful that I also see thankfulness all around me. I just wish I could find a way to convey this to the cats!

If you are thankful for something, please share it in a comment below. I hope that your Thanksgiving celebrations, whatever they might be, find you counting more blessings than regrets this year.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!