“The older I get, the more I’m conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world. Tiny little things, but the world is made up of tiny matters, isn’t it?” –– Sandra Cisneros
I have long toyed with the idea of getting a dog, and since I closed my communications practice, the timing seemed right to move forward on the thought. I have always been a sucker for big hairy dogs, so I set my heart on an Irish Wolfhound. I could see us together going for walks, a big goofy grin on his face, people marveling at his size. I could see him nuzzling me for petting and more petting. I could see him crowding me out of my bed. Yep. An Irish Wolfhound. That’s what was the dog for me.
So what does the Universe send me? A homeless cat.
“Excuse me,” I say, pointing to the feline. “I want an Irish Wolfhound.”
“Here’s a cat,” says the Universe.
I admit the cat certainly is a pretty boy. And he is affectionate. But he’s not a dog.
I turn back to the Universe and enter into a meditation in which I envision my big beautiful Irish Wolfhound.
“Here’s a cat,” says the Universe.
“Hey! What about ‘ask and you shall receive,’” I say. “You know, all that manifestation schtick.”
“Here’s a cat,” says the Universe.
Sigh.
WHEN GIVEN A NO
What am I to do when I am given not what I think I want, but something else? Can I trust the Divine Spirits enough to do what is best?
Can I trust the Divine Spirits to do right by me? Yes.
Do I need to wrench a situation into my own hands, to manipulate it as I see best? No.
So my responsibility, no matter what the Universe throws my way, is to trust, accept, call for guidance, act as needed, and then let it be.
My faith is such is that I take to heart the words of Julian of Norwich: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all matters of thing shall be well. For there is a force of love moving through the universe that holds us fast and will never let us go.” No matter my disappointment, loss, or heart ache, I believe not so much that I will be given the strength to endure (though that likely will be), but rather that there will be grace. What that grace opens for me remains to be seen.
TRUTH OF THE MATTER
The truth is that an Irish Wolfhound is not a practical pet for me –– an animal my nephew calls a cross between a bear and a horse, which is not too far from the truth. I do not have a fenced in yard. My house is not that large. And I can be gone from home for long periods, which is never a good situation for a dog.
So, OK, Universe, I get it. A cat is a much better companion for me.
For now, the two of us are just getting used to each other, or rather I am striving to learn how to best care for an adult cat, who spends most of the time sleeping, as he is doing now on the couch next to me as I write.
WHAT IS IN A NAME
His name is Ronnie Floki –– Ronnie after my late brother-in-law Ron who loved cats. Calling my new baby Ronnie both honors and reminds me of this kind, generous man who left this Earth before any of us were ready to say goodbye. Floki is Icelandic for heroic Viking.
Ronnie is a yellow cat, and I was told that the Vikings developed this feline coloration. I can find no documentation to back up this claim. To the contrary, the research seems to say that the Vikings did not breed cats for color. Sometimes, though, a story, true or not, is too good to let go. So Floki is his Spirit name. He is Ronnie, the Heroic Viking, having survived as he did outside for some time in a bitter cold January, without front claws no less, before his rescue by friends.
So now I have a cat –– or rather a cat has me.
“When an animal comes into your life,” writes Trebbe Johnson, “it means to teach you something.”1
I promise to be a good student –– as soon as Ronnie wakes up.
FOR REFLECTION: What is your reaction when you are given something different from what you desire? Are you able to see the gift in such a situation? In what ways can you see beyond what you think is best to a different possibility?
1 Trebbe Johnson, On the Moors of Omaha: Essays. (New York: Calliope Books, 2025), 104.
Top image: www.animalplanet.com
Midtext image: Publisher’s personal photo
Side image: Pixabay/Avelino Calvar Martinez
