Sunday, December 29, 2013

Letting Go

Yesterday morning, the youngest of our adopted kittens decided to sneak out and explore the great big world out there. Only four-months old and almost, but not quite, done with the vaccinations he’d need to be an outdoor feline fellow, his first outdoor adventure was scheduled for the beginning of March.


Little Sokolov had other ideas. A half-day later, with the sun going down and the temperature dropping, I notified the microchip company that he was officially lost. I notified the neighbors, and the original shelter he came from. I cried inside, stroked his brother and older sister who looked for him everywhere. DD and I walked the neighborhood, and I made a poster ready to be put up the nearby streets the next morning. 
As I was falling asleep, well past midnight, I thought about how I’d have to let go of this little guy. I thought about the work that kept me busy that day, revising (again, yup) my latest MG novel, and how I was not ready to let go of either and send them to the cold reality out there. I thought about DD, getting ready for auditions that will set her out into that same world of cold shoulders, indifference, and possible bruising encounters. I thought about DS, and how hard it was the first few weeks after he moved into his own place, only two miles away.

That’s a lot of letting go, and letting go- I must learn to do.
As the two kitties left behind snuggled up on top of me, they refused to give up the prime space on my chest and squeezed themselves against each other in a way I had never seen them do before. I made the conscious effort to breath as deeply as I could, (a real feat when you have fourteen pounds of cat on your chest) and said, repeatedly, “Thank you for the time we had together. Now go out and do wonderful things.”

I realized I was talking to little Sokolov, to DD, and to my novel, all at once.

I fell asleep as calm as a cucumber, if I could ever figure out this bizarre expression.

At three forty three in the morning, Sokolov marched in and plopped himself on top of the kitty-pile. Maybe he was not ready to let go. Maybe I am not, either. But if our time here is a journey worth having, I think I've seen a hint of a mile-post down the road.

And after posting here, I’m bouncing my fingers straight to the microchip company’s site to give the good news. He’s ba-a-a-ack!

17 comments:

Vijaya said...

Mirka, what a lovely post about letting go ... I'm just so thankful you don't have to just yet :)

Leandra Wallace said...

Yay! I was hoping this story would have a happy ending. I'm confident the others will too.

Evelyn said...

So glad you have Sololov back with you. Letting go is hard. But it's part of life (as you know so well). I wonder if God had any of those feelings when he let his only son come to earth that first Christmas.

Tina Cho said...

Hooray, your kitty is back! Oh my, Mirka, you do have a lot of things you're going through. Praying for you! That's good your son is still "close."

Anonymous said...

Letting go is hard… Lovely post.

Anna Staniszewski said...

Lovely post. I'm so glad the little fluff-ball came back!

Ruth Schiffmann said...

What a lovely post. Letting go is one of those difficult things we must learn to do all over again each time. I'm glad you found peace - - and that Sokolov came home!

Johnell said...

I'm so glad the kitty is back safely, but what a great lesson. Thanks for that.

Ann Herrick said...

So glad this story had a happy ending, especially since I was about to comment about not letting go *too soon.* :D

Diane Kress Hower said...

Yeah! Thanks for sharing Mirka and letting go is one of the hardest things to do for us Moms.

Kelly Hashway said...

I'm so glad he came back and it wasn't time for you to let go of him just yet.

Marcia Strykowski said...

What a sweet, important story about something we can all relate to.

Barbara Etlin said...

Oh, I'm so happy for all of you that you didn't have to let go of him quite yet!

David Golek said...

I am happy he is back! So will your new novel, come back to you in a different way than you expected :)

Unknown said...

I am SO glad this kitty story had a happy ending. Where did that little stinker go, I wonder. Naughty cats tell no tales, do they? Maybe he'll always be a roamer.

As for your DD, I would send her off to auditions in a t-shirt that says, "I take rejection well, however, my mom might whack you in the face with a bag of nickels if you disrespect me." Hey, doesn't hurt to remind those judges that there's a mama bear standing by in case they get snarky.

Happy 2014, Mirka! Wishing you health, happiness, and productivity in the new year!

Marcia said...

So glad he's back, Mirka!

Stephanie Faris said...

Beautifully written. Glad he came back home. Cats seem to always know the way back.