Living My Life Like Gabby Would

How to stay safely curious

Gabby the Cat was the extremely curious black and white Maine Coon+ cat who appeared on our front porch in Maryland as a kitten.? Over the twenty years of her life, I could have benefitted from living more in the present.? She did.

Recently the topic of expectations popped up in my daily life. That’s what I’m writing about today.

When Gabby was in my life she fueled my expectations in ways that stretched me uncomfortably.? My expectation was mainly that she’d get out of wherever we were living and come to great bodily harm, or die.? She helped me develop the stress muscle I had then.

I’ve transformed my stress muscle into a calm muscle with breathing exercises, writing practices, and working on acceptance. I've learned how to be safely curious.

Which has made space for me to become aware of how her curiosity gave her animal joy.? I realize once again she’s been a powerful teacher when I can let go of needing to protect her.

Gabby intuitively knew how to be safely curious.? And, you and I do, too.

She was always aware of what was going on around her.? Her goals were immediate, and she seemed almost intoxicated when she reached some of them (her perfect sunny spot, plastic with the right crunchy sound, and hiding where no one could find her.)

She reached all those goals because of her curiosity and never put herself at risk for what I was afraid of happening to her.

It should be clear that I’m the one with the expectations here.

The takeaways are

• Don’t assume you know the whole story until you’ve been curious enough to ask questions, observe, or communicate.
• Identify progress with yourself and others as more than a project completion, number, or grade.
• Accept that you’re human (not a cat) and find what makes you happiest.
• You’re complicated and your life goals will be, too.

Become safely curious. Click here so I can help you stop assuming.