June 2025 – Page 8

Chachi’s Softer Side

The little macho in the fur coat does have a softer side and he has decided to show me his feminine side.

He has toned down his cat antics and now, it’s all about taking “lovey-dovey” to a new high! I’m loving it but it is also a tad scary. I see a “mini-me” in the making. I used to be fearful and a clap of thunder would make me jump. We had a thunderstorm two days ago and when it rolled in, Mr. Macho was nowhere to be found! He only came out of his hiding place when things quieted down and the coast was clear and then he looked at me as if I had caused all that racket!

Working out is getting to be next to impossible. My “workout cat” not only joins in but weaves in and out between my legs making it impossible to continue and then decides it’s “kisses galore” time! Try resisting those puppy dog eyes! Yes, he’s got that one down pat. If you can’t beat them, join them? Exactly what happens. It is only a matter of time before we are down on the mat in a lovefest exchanging snuggles, kisses and hugs! Not that I’m complaining.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that Little Einstein is not what he makes himself out to be. He’s a scaredy cat in every sense of the word! Our morning routine hinges on going down together. He waits patiently until I’m ready to go down and then he dashes down the stairs but not before. I wanted to see if I was just imagining it so I went down with him this morning and left him in the kitchen and went back upstairs. Unbelievable! Within minutes, he was back upstairs “mommy meowing” until he found me!

To top it all, his fur is accommodating his new-found softer side! Suddenly, he is soft as silk and holding him close is a joy indeed. What happened? I don’t know but his new nickname is “Softie!” It suits him just fine and I’m loving this sweetness and gentleness he is showing. However, I know that this softer side will not last. It is only a matter of time before the little guy who wears the pants in this household will show up with that John Wayne stride and with that grin plastered on his face and believe me, it will be sooner than later!

Have an amazing day.

My Fears

Two things that happened changed how I viewed life and brought fear into it. The first one I’ve never talked about here because whenever I look at it one question comes to mind, how much of what happened was my fault?

I was an undergraduate at the time. Life was great and I was enjoying my freedom. Then one day he walked in. I was at the university and talking with my boss when he strolled in. Our eyes met. I smiled and he smiled back but his gaze never left my face after that. It was uncomfortable so I looked away and worked at the other desk without looking at him. He was good-lo0king and more like the Ted Bundy type!

The next day I was walking through a hallway when I saw him again. His eyes lit up and he said, “Hello!” I smiled and we talked. Then he asked me, “Would you like to go out sometime?” I was surprised but I shook my head and told him I was seeing someone. He smiled and said okay. A few days later, heavy snowfall meant the university was closed. I decided to take a walk in the snow, it was a beautiful day. Suddenly, he was beside me and asked, “Do you mind if I walked with you?” I said no. We talked about the weather and I found out he was a psychology major and that he was from Wisconsin. That was about it.

Then it started. Roses started appearing outside my door and the phone would go off at all hours of the day and night but especially when I came home from a date late at night and the minute I walked in, the phone would ring incessantly. Then one day there was a knock on the door and I opened it to find him standing there. He had tears rolling down his face and he said, “I love you!” I was shocked. No matter how I pleaded with him, my life was not my own from that point in time. The police couldn’t help because he hadn’t done anything!

He followed me around and wherever I was, he was there. He would bring me a cold drink, walk into the office and leave it on my desk. He would leave flowers outside my apartment door, some left whole and some crushed, with love letters attached to them , and the worst part was when I was on a date and wherever we were, he would be right there! I recall one time when we had taken an evening walk and the next day he told me everything we had talked about! He had been that close.

It continued for six months and it felt like I was living in a glass house. Fear gripped my insides and going out became a terrifying event. Six months to the day it stopped! He went silent and my life was mine again. I don’t know what happened to him but I could breathe again but the fear never left me. Even now the fear is there and perhaps it will never leave but I am glad that I survived that ordeal.

An estimated 13.5 million people are stalked in the US each year and I was one of the lucky ones because stalking usually escalates to rape and murder. What did I learn from it? Stop smiling! That was my first reaction but deep down I knew that the smile was friendly nothing more. He had a problem or problems and there was nothing I could have done about the outcome. I still smile because it is part and parcel of my DNA and I wasn’t going to let someone with mental issues wipe it off my face!

The other fear factor, I will talk about at another time.

Daily writing prompt

What fears have you overcome and how?

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The Cinderella Effect (Archives)

A friend sent this a few days ago and it got me thinking.

“If life doesn’t feel like a fairytale,

If every beautiful sentence seems like ridiculous madness to you…..

Take your existence by the hand,

Be the artist of your own future,

Don’t wait for toads to turn into princes, or pumpkins into carriages,

Remember that everything that was conquered with effort, smells of joy that knows no limits,

Be your own fairytale.” Unknown

I would love to take that last line to heart but fairytales are made of fairy dust and all things nice. The guy gets the girl, a pair of glass slippers has the power to snare a prince and a fairy godmother who orchestrates the whole shebang! How far from the truth can it be? These days things just don’t work that way. I am not sure if it did work that way in Fairytale Land but make-believe is just that, you can work magic into anything and parade it as the truth and have people swallow it lock, stock and barrel!

These days you pick someone out of a dating site, whichever it might be. Then begins the excruciating task of deciding if it’s a “yes” a “no” or it lands in the maybe pile. It all boils down to as the saying goes from the Frog Prince, “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your handsome prince.” Not appetizing is it? And even then, you might just walk away with nothing to show for it and that is the reality of it.

Life is not a fairytale. The girl doesn’t always get the guy in the end and there is no walking off into the sunset and happily ever after either. More often than not the shoe doesn’t fit and heartbreak follows in its wake. I could go on and on but I am going to stop right here and lighten the mood a little. I hope these quotes help to keep you company as we go through life searching for that needle in the haystack.

“Someday my Prince Charming will come. Mine just took a wrong turn, got lost and is too stubborn to ask for directions.”

That hasn’t changed much, you know what I am talking about if you’ve ever been in a car with a guy and he refuses to admit that he’s lost. Nothing new there.

I love this next one from Ms. Oprah Winfrey.

“Mr. Right’s coming, but he’s in Africa, and he’s walking.”

Ms. Carrie Bradshaw had a lot to say on this topic.

And just like that:

“A relationship is like couture. If it doesn’t fit perfectly, it’s a disaster.”

The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you that you love, well, that’s just fabulous.”

“Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want and just see what happens.”

“As we drive along this road called life, occasionally a girl will find herself a little lost. And when that happens, I guess she has to let go of the coulda, shoulda, woulda, buckle up and just keep going.”

Don’t despair. As the Fairy Godmother said:

“Even miracles take a little time.”

If all else fails,

Ladies,

Please stop wasting your time looking for Mr. Right.

Just find Mr. Left and drag that sucker to the right!

Take it from me that last one doesn’t work!

Have an amazing day.

One Joyful Thing

It is not expensive, I don’t have to buy it and it is not materialistic. The one simple thing I do each and everyday that brings joy to my life is to simply smile and to give out smiles. It’s as simple as that.

There are people who go around with the corners of their lips turned down and they don’t even realize it. A smile is something I wear when I’m out there or on those rare moments when I get myself out and rub shoulders with the human race! I call myself a recluse so it doesn’t happen that often but when I do, I make sure that the smile is front and center.

It is not a fake one where you flash it once and it goes off in the blink of an eye. I’ve been told that I smile with my eyes and I suppose that is a good thing. I say I give out smiles because if I make eye contact with someone, I flash that smile. It just happens naturally, however, do not underestimate the power of a smile because it has the ability to jump start your day and to the person on the receiving end, it says, “I see you and you are worthy of my smile!”

Smiling “increases mood-enhancing hormones while decreasing stress-enhancing hormones, including cortisol, and adrenaline.” It also produces more endorphins-the chemical that relieves pain and stress.

So smile for all you’re worth!

Daily writing prompt

Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.

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