Day 37: I always land on my feet, just like a cat...

They say that cats always land on their feet; I’ve seen scientific experiments showing this phenomenon on TV. They dropped cats from amazing heights reaching up to 25 feet and they landed…on their feet.  No one said whether or not it hurt the cat’s feet but I imagine it did a bit.

I always land on my feet.  It seems that no matter what life throws at me; it doesn’t seem to be able to knock me down.  I know that now in retrospect but I didn’t always realize this.

Growing up with a complicated life situation, I learned that there is always tomorrow and tomorrow is sure to be better than today.  This is a retrospective perspective I assure you.  There were so many times when I felt like giving up and I am glad I didn’t for sure. I have so much to be thankful for, especially at this point in my life.

How are the gifts of life distributed I always wondered?  It seems that most of them are given out in a haphazard manner: some to those who we deem undeserving, others to those who have enough already and don’t seem to need more (am I a little repetitious?), others to those who get them just in the nick of time, and others to those in their own category who seem to help themselves.  I have probably fallen into each of these categories and I expect most of us do as well.

Deserving something tends to be a description made by others who are spectators of the situation rather than deservers (did I just make up a word?).  Most of us on the receiving end don’t seem to understand this until we look backward and recognize the gift from the gods of life.

Gifts are just that… gifts, presents for the present that seem to appear out of nowhere.  As a child and later as an adult, I remember hoping conscientiously for things and never getting them and just when I didn’t think or hope for something, it appeared.  Sometimes a gift arrived ahead of my need and in examination after the fact; I realized this gift filled a huge need.

After my divorce, I kept rather to myself doing a lot of thinking.  I had moved, had no current friends in my new location, no job, just an apartment and my sweet dog, Claudie.  Thinking about my circumstances was my job; reviewing my life, not looking ahead but only looking backward in sadness and then, miracle of miracle, gifts began to arrive unexpectedly.

I met a few people, got a job (not the one I wanted but it paid the bills) and then met Joe. Four years later and I cannot believe how many gifts I received in hindsight.  Joe came with a wonderful family, especially his mom who is now my mom. Claudie passed away but then came Zeffy my new sweet pupper.  I started my own consulting business and did well.  I made a lot of new friends, good ones, and several older ones resurfaced (as I did) from life's circumstances.

Having your feet on the ground gives you courage, support, and happiness to know that you’re back and able to face the newest challenges that are surely coming.  It’s nice to know you can land on your feet, even if it hurts a little from the height you fell.