The Tale of Tuna

Hello Cousins! As you may recall, or maybe you're new here, we have a cat named Tuna. Tuna is our first rescue cat. My husband adopted her while he was living out of town. We've got two others but I've had them since they were kittens.

Tuna is quirky. She loves to meow, she's great at getting your attention by picking, she's a ferocious hunter, she LOVES lamb chops toys.... did I mention she's only got one eye? Oh, and we recently had to get 3 of her teeth extracted too. My husband and I will often ask each other questions about her life before us. Her adoption papers tell us a minimal story - that she belonged to a woman, that woman fell ill and was no longer able to care for her so Tuna lived with her daughter, the daughter stated that the other animals in the house didn't get along with Tuna so they placed her for adoption. Once she was surrendered, they found out she had ocular cancer and removed her eye. "Do you think they knew about the eye before they surrendered her? Maybe they couldn't afford it?"

"Do you think the lady was elderly and absolutely just tended to Tuna's every single need?" (She'll scream if she sees a little tiny hole without food in her dish, only drinks running water, and sits and screams in the bathtub if her water fountain is being cleaned)

We tell ourselves these little Tales of Tuna. She's adored by so many - my co-workers are always cheering her on (she has a habit of interrupting meetings... I work from home). Some are sad tales, some are happy ones. What makes her the way that she is?

"I wonder..."

"I bet..."

"Do you think...."

This got me thinking... How many times a day do we tell ourselves little stories about ourselves or those around us? These little tales that could, or could not, be true. Maybe there is even a hint of truth sprinkled in.

It's easy for us to get lost in the wonder - the ponder - the what if... But what happens when we "be where our feet are" and focus on what's happening now. What if we just focus on who we (or they) are in this moment. Meeting people where they're at.

Side note - sometimes it is fun though, to tell these tales. I've been listening to Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe (and bawling my eyes off - I was a big Stuart fan) - to hear how they wove true events through the stories is such a fantastic experience. Give it a listen if you need something new (and old) to listen to. It's like being invited into a friend's livingroom to relive old times.

Whatever tale you tell yourself today - make it a good one. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Maybe if the answer is no, then you need to let the tale end there.

Sure love ya.