at my annual physical last month,
my doctor asked me who I live with
after pausing to think,
I said just me
later in our conversation,
I mentioned my amazing
one-whiskered, otherwise all-black cat
I was telling some anecdote
about how affectionate she is
my doctor smiled, chuckled and said
hold on a minute
I have to change something
In your chart
she quietly said as she keyed in the change
“Lives with amazing cat, Adeline”
in that moment,
I felt a quiet joy
of being
seen
now I’m wishing Facebook
had more options
I would
definitely check many
In relationship with:
my cat
my friends
my family
nature
God
painting and art
poetry and words and books
my students and colleagues
learning
live music
justice
faith
coffee
chocolate
the night sky
the smell of rain
wonder and awe
and Todd, still, gone 8 months now
the resulting grief
seeking deeper relationship with hope
