Summer’s back, with all its usual lovable suspects — I started biking again, the ice cream stand is open, and, of course, I’m on at least my fifth sunburn of the season. (I promise I wear sunscreen, but, as I told someone last week, “The sun is just especially burny this year.”)
We’ve navigated the COVID-19 quarantine, and now we’re navigating cautious re-entry into society, a little more rested and a little more appreciative of community.
Our lady cat also had kittens, and they’re starting to be fun. (Also, now I truly understand the expression “herding cats.” They’re impossible to keep in one place.)
Featuring The Kitties (orange boys, calico girls) and the Father Cat.
They wrestle, play with strings, jump on each other, hide behind things and peek out, and are 100% inquisitive 100% of the time.
Last week I brought them all outside to play. They liked it for a while, but then the orange boy kitty started to get nervous and cry. The momma cat, at this point taking her parenting duties with a very hands-off approach, was nowhere to be found. But as soon as the baby started crying, it took less than 30 seconds for her to come racing out of her hiding spot. She hurried over to the orange fur ball and started licking his head.
He stopped crying and in less than a minute, he was playing again, content to know that his mother was there to take care of him.
Sometimes, all it takes is the comfort of presence.
Curtis (he’s very wonderful) and I also spent some time with my sister’s family. My nephew, almost two, is a typical almost two-year-old, and sometimes gets upset about things. One morning, I was sitting with his parents and he was playing in the other room. After a while, he came running down the hallway, bottom lip sticking out and tears in his eyes.
He went directly to his dad, threw his arms around him, and hugged him. My brother-in-law hugged him back.
As soon as the hug was over, the toddler turned around and left, fully consoled. As he left, my brother-in-law said,
“Did you just need a hug?”
The little boy shrugged, his customary action for “Yes.”
Sometimes, all it takes is a hug.
There are a lot of things going on in the world today, and there are a lot of hurting people. Sometimes, the best thing to do is just be with them. Listen. Learn. Offer the comfort of presence. And sometimes, the best thing to offer is a hug that says, “I’m here for you. I care. I’m sorry for what you’re going through.”
Neither action can fix everything, but both can certainly start to mend burnt bridges.