Kittens Happen.

I’m thinking about the times when an innocent action, one without any agenda, can bring to bear a unforeseen and irreversible result. One that is unwelcome at the moment it surfaces, but eventually reveals itself as a positive, even life-changing event. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve had that profound of an experience, but since the last one was a doozy—and took quite a while before I concluded it was a good thing—it’s probably just as well that these kinds of surprises are infrequent.

Tonight, as I was propped up on our guest bed with one kitten purring on my lap, and the other sleeping jammed up as close to my face as possible without actually being on it, I thought: this is one of those. I couldn’t imagine how we could add even one more fuzzy, four-legged creature to our house and yet here we are, managing two rather happily.

Having them here has changed my priorities, as they need to be fed frequently and they also need lots of attention and love. This means getting up early, going on out-of-the-way errands, and spending free time with them instead of on myself. All of this extra effort has created a focus in my life that is bigger than me, for once. And it also forces moments of calm and idleness that didn’t exist before now. And this is all good. Despite my initial doubts.

In a few weeks, one will go to new, trusted home and one will stay with us—partly because there is nowhere else for him to go, and partly because, apparently, it's just what we need right now.