Foreboding Joy

Sometimes I'll look at one of my cats and be completely overwhelmed by love.

For a moment, there is nothing to do.

Nothing to fix.

Nothing to think about.

Just joy.

And then, almost immediately, another thought appears.

What if something happens to them?

What if they get sick?

What if I lose them?

This is the very human - the other shoe is going to drop phenomenon.

The moment something becomes incredibly important to us, we become aware that it isn't permanent.

The more we love, the more there is to lose.

For a long time, I thought these thoughts meant something was wrong.

Now I think they're part of being human.

Love and vulnerability tend to arrive together.