The Wheel turned for us today.
I was fixing breakfast when my husband walked into the kitchen and handed me the phone. “This man is saying Paris (our cat) is dead. Talk to him, I’m going up to get dressed.”
“Where are you?” I asked the caller.
He was right outside the house.
Two of the utility guys that were putting in a gas line at a neighbor’s house met me as I came running out. Their faces were grim with concern and sympathy as they handed me Paris’s collar. “We were over there working and when we looked up he was laying in the street. He was up on our rig earlier saying hello. Really nice cat.”
“Where is he?”
“He’s just over there ma’am,” One of them said. He put his arms around me when I started to cry and patted me gently on the back. “If you let me know where you want me to put him, I’ll take him there for you,” he said.
“No thanks, I’ll do it.”
I walked around the back-hoe and found our beautiful cat lying next to it. He looked like he was asleep. I scooped him up, but he didn’t open his eyes and yawn and stretch, he was limp as a rag doll. My husband met us as we were walking up the steps to the house. The utilities guy breathed and almost audible sigh of relief and handed me over to him.
The Techs at the vet clinic assured us he was dead and that they were so sorry.
“How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing, all we did was tell you he was dead.”
Paris’s vet and many other cat owners would say the lesson to be learned from this is that we should have kept Paris indoors full-time. A valid assessment, but not one I am willing to agree with. Paris loved being outside. He knew more people and dogs and cats in our neighborhood than we did. Total strangers were constantly coming up to me and telling me how much they enjoyed Paris. He had a good buddy next door, a tiny black and white kitty named Lorna. They spent hours romping in the yard and socializing with passers by. His life wouldn’t have been nearly as rich if we’d kept him inside.
So maybe we lost our cat to repay some sort of karmic debt.
Or maybe it wasn’t about us at all. Maybe Paris needed to learn to be careful around cars or had some sort of karmic debt of his own to repay. Or maybe he’d done all he came into this world to do and it was time for him to go.
Or maybe shit just happened.
We can drive ourselves crazy speculating, but we’ll never really know for sure why any tragedy happens. All we can do is love, honor, and appreciate everyone and every good thing in our lives, because we can never know what the next turn of the Wheel will bring.
14 thoughts on “Major Arcana, The Hero’s Adventure: Wheel of Fortune: Epilogue”
So very sorry.
So very sorry.
Paris sounds like such a delightful cat. I’m sure his life was much richer because of you and I’m sure your life was richened by having his companionship. I like to think that I will somehow experience my animal companions again some day and that if I am fully aware, I will recognize them and they will recognize me. Perhaps Paris’ spirit will cross paths with you at some point and you will recognize each other and will know joy in experiencing yet another turn of the wheel.
I hope so too.
Thank you
Paris sounds like such a delightful cat. I’m sure his life was much richer because of you and I’m sure your life was richened by having his companionship. I like to think that I will somehow experience my animal companions again some day and that if I am fully aware, I will recognize them and they will recognize me. Perhaps Paris’ spirit will cross paths with you at some point and you will recognize each other and will know joy in experiencing yet another turn of the wheel.
I hope so too.
Thank you
Dear Chrissy,
So sad your Paris Kitty died. I loved his soft fur and friendly nature. Your cats have always been sweet. I have many good cat friends in the Cats Heaven waiting for me to join them.
Love,
Suzi
Dear Suzi:
Thank you for having the healing circle. It helped lots.
And thank you for your kind words, they helped too.
Don’t be in too much of a hurry to see all your friends in Cat Heaven, they can wait.
Love you lots, Chrissy
To Suzi: Ditto Chrissy.
To Chrissy: He is a sweet, little soul, and he had a good karmic vacation with you and Craig. That’s what a Tibetan Buddhist would say. I’m thinking that good pets are reborn as therapists and social workers because they know how to listen and provide non-judgmental support.
Perhaps Paris was C. G. Jung looking for a few fondles, and now it’s back to business, helping us make sense of ourselves. Bet he’s on Paul’s lap.
I sure hope he’s on Paul’s lap! Thanks, Kris.
Dear Chrissy,
So sad your Paris Kitty died. I loved his soft fur and friendly nature. Your cats have always been sweet. I have many good cat friends in the Cats Heaven waiting for me to join them.
Love,
Suzi
Dear Suzi:
Thank you for having the healing circle. It helped lots.
And thank you for your kind words, they helped too.
Don’t be in too much of a hurry to see all your friends in Cat Heaven, they can wait.
Love you lots, Chrissy
To Suzi: Ditto Chrissy.
To Chrissy: He is a sweet, little soul, and he had a good karmic vacation with you and Craig. That’s what a Tibetan Buddhist would say. I’m thinking that good pets are reborn as therapists and social workers because they know how to listen and provide non-judgmental support.
Perhaps Paris was C. G. Jung looking for a few fondles, and now it’s back to business, helping us make sense of ourselves. Bet he’s on Paul’s lap.
I sure hope he’s on Paul’s lap! Thanks, Kris.