I followed a trail of scattered, tattered cardboard fragments to my cat’s scratchboard, picking up and vacuuming up the remains, and sighing heavily. This is a daily ritual.
Sam goes through a lot of scratchboards because I cannot clip his unfathomably long, harpoon like weapons that he keeps retracted like a turtle in its shell should I try to unsheathe and clip them. A process that also involves a lot of bloodletting – my blood that is. So I gave up.
But as I examined the worn torn scratchboard it occurred to me, that, hey, this is exactly what scratchboards are for. Who wants a pristine scratchboard collecting dust, unless of course, you collect them for some reason.
It reminded me that there are so many things in life that are sitting around and not being used, or admired at least. Not to mention the mere act of being alive. When was the last time you really enjoyed that? Or used the fact you are living to do something with it?
Cats can never be accused of not using things, except expensive toys. The more you spend on toys the more likely your cat will snub them. And the more something is of value to you personally, the more chance that pusscat will destroy it.
Cats are zen.
We get angry when something we are using wears out, when, duh, that is what is suppose to happen. In fact, things will wear out even if you don’t use them.
I, being a passionate advocate for living life to the fullest, say to you, don’t lock up your life. Use it. Be in awe of it. Even sit back on occasion and admire it. Before your cat chews it to shit, destroys it, or just ignores you completely. Before life wears out all on its own, or suffocates from the decades of dust that settle on it.
I almost forgot what my blog is about until today and fondly looking at that scratchboard.