With rain.

It was a great blessing to many in my area.

I spent most of it watching television late into the night, and my cat spent most of it freaking out.

When it first began, she came into the room that I refer to as “The One With the T.V. and Chair”, and she would walk along in a low crouched position.  As if she needed to make her way to me, but felt that traveling as low to the ground as possible was the safest way in the midst of the thunder and lightning.  And every time I’d say anything, she’d meow as if to answer me saying, “I know!  I’m freaking out! Are you okay?!” And she would come sit next to me until the storm died down, at which point she would return to the other room and her cushy perch on my bed.  A couple more times when the storm would pick up, she’d repeat the trip out to see me by the television and the whole process would repeat itself.

Someone told me recently that when cats get older they tend to become more affectionate.  This cat is about 10 and, with the exception of the past couple months, has spent most of her life as a fairly independent (if not emotionally stunted) cat.  But lately, of course, things have changed.  So the spectacle of last night was a rather endearing thing.  It felt like she was both coming to me for comfort and safety, as well as popping in to check on me and make sure I was still doing alright.

And much to my glee, we have developed a sort of greeting as of late.  She’ll come up to me and look at me, then I’ll lean in a little closer to her face, at which point she leans in the rest of the distance so that her forehead brushes my forehead.  Sometimes it’s very gentle, and sometimes she’s done it so forcefully that it knocks my glasses off.

It’s sort of like a very loving headbutt. 

Coming from a cat that never liked our faces being too close to hers.

I know I’m just rambling on about my cat, but I feel like I’ve been allowed this special privilege. 

And it just made me think about how incredible it is to feel acts of love coming from a being that you had previously thought had some serious intimacy issues.  And the kind of trust you must be able to bestow in order to freely allow yourself to perform such acts.

It’s a little like rain in a drought, I suppose.