I adopted a cat
I am once again asking you to read about my pets
Hello friends,
I adopted a cat this week, and I’m obsessed with her. She’s an eight-month-old tortoiseshell. The shelter named her Tipsy, but I changed her name to Nyx, after the Greek goddess of the night. She’s still a bit skittish but super lovable. I find myself wanting to pet her all the time.
For those of you who have been around for a bit, you’ll remember when my dog Mattie died. You’ll also remember when my new puppy Jade died a few months later. I was not in a good headspace. On top of losing two pets in as many months, I also realized MS is not conducive to training a puppy. I thought about getting a cat (I had one as a kid), but I wasn’t really looking. Then I went to PetSmart for fish supplies, and I saw Nyx. She headbutted the glass of her enclosure, trying to get to me, and I knew I had to adopt her. Incidentally, PetSmart didn’t have the fish stuff I needed. It’s like when you go to Target for shampoo and come out with a new wardrobe and kitchen accessories.
Also, this past week, I launched our brand new poetry club, The Sad Poets Society.
The first post is available to everyone, but from now on, the Sad Poets Society will only be for paying subscribers. I'm looking forward to expanding this community, though. Poetry gives us an avenue to talk about life less awkwardly than speaking without metaphors. I hope you'll join us there.
And, to top off the week, your Tampa Bay Lightning have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive year. I know there must be some other freaks out there who love sports and literature in equal measure. Show yourselves in the comments.
I know not every week will be as lovely as this one. But I also know they won't all be as bad as when I lost my dogs. Life is up and down. It's cliche, but it's true. Sometimes I get self-conscious writing about my happiness. Everything seems so terrible all the time. It feels uncouth to draw attention to my contentedness. But I think part of the reason everyone feels miserable right now is that everyone is addicted to rage. It feels good to announce your indignation to the world, whether for climate change, war, or any of the myriad issues we face. Righteous anger is spreading. It's easier to yell at people you disagree with than to attempt to see their point of view.
In the face of all that, however, I think highlighting our happiness is doubly essential. You can't ignore suffering, but you can't become suffering. So many things are out of our control. Most things, actually, are out of our control. But we can be kind to people. We can listen and offer support to those in distress. Laughter can help us distract loved ones in pain. Empathy is not the easiest response to despair, but it provides a path toward peace.
I rambled a bit toward the end, but these letters are like my journal. I'm just publishing it in real-time rather than waiting till I'm famous. That being said, share something that brought you joy this week. Let's turn the comments section into a spark of happiness.
See you next week,
Yardena
Weekend Potpourri
Shit is a common topic in haiku. Also, this is quickly becoming a newsletter about shit. I’m rolling with it.
This was a wild ride that thankfully ended well
