I especially enjoyed “Chester”, by John Koethe. For one thing, it contains a cat. I myself have two cats, so I can relate to their blank expressions. They seem to think that “health is the primary duty of life” (Wilde 9). Of course, when I say health, I mean food, especially when its living and they manage to sneak it into the house.
I sometimes envy their simple routines; they can find bliss so easily. Koethe describes how, as humans, we struggle to find what really makes us happy. Our expectations of life’s pleasures bring us down. Cats do not struggle with such mental angst.
I suppose that “ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone” (Wilde 13). Cats know no greater meaning to life, so they live in content. However, humans cannot get rid of the nagging feeling that one should do more. Koethe explains how “mere being is supposed to be enough,” but it simply is not (Koethe 16-17). It makes me reflect upon my future. I will leave for college soon. It will be time to choose between a life that is simply sufficient, filled with mere fanciful day dreams, or a life that truly fulfills me. It makes me ponder whether or not ordinary can be enough.
I do not want to wake up one day and find that “it is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth” about my level of happiness in life, or worse, my level of regret (Wilde 40). It makes me realize that I have the chance to choose my path, right now.
In a way, I find it inspiring. It makes me want to start living my life to its fullest. I want to figure out what creates happiness, whether that be a simple, sufficient life, or one full of adventure and complexities.
I sometimes envy their simple routines; they can find bliss so easily. Koethe describes how, as humans, we struggle to find what really makes us happy. Our expectations of life’s pleasures bring us down. Cats do not struggle with such mental angst.
I suppose that “ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone” (Wilde 13). Cats know no greater meaning to life, so they live in content. However, humans cannot get rid of the nagging feeling that one should do more. Koethe explains how “mere being is supposed to be enough,” but it simply is not (Koethe 16-17). It makes me reflect upon my future. I will leave for college soon. It will be time to choose between a life that is simply sufficient, filled with mere fanciful day dreams, or a life that truly fulfills me. It makes me ponder whether or not ordinary can be enough.
I do not want to wake up one day and find that “it is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth” about my level of happiness in life, or worse, my level of regret (Wilde 40). It makes me realize that I have the chance to choose my path, right now.
In a way, I find it inspiring. It makes me want to start living my life to its fullest. I want to figure out what creates happiness, whether that be a simple, sufficient life, or one full of adventure and complexities.
I envy the cat. Their choice is so simple.
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| This is a photo that my dad took of one of my cats. He has it as a desktop on a 22 inch monitor, so her eyes pop out at me whenever I walk past it. It's slightly terrifying. |
Note: It also inspired me to write a spoof of the poem when I struggled to think of a title for my English essay. Those are always fun.
Lizzy, I love your assertions about cats! I must admit that one of my favorite reasons for going to your house is to see your cat, Rex. His stout appearance just makes me smile whenever I see him! And the hilarious stories that you tell about his many encounters with voles (and bringing them into the house) are priceless. I, too, envy the relaxed life of pets. I often look over at my snoozing dog while I frantically work on homework, and can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy for his relaxed lifestyle. However, I would not want to trade our lives for anything because hard work and frustration makes the benefits and good times so much better. Oh, and you should have put up a picture of Rex, not Rubia!
ReplyDeleteWell, I do not have any cats, but I do have two dogs, who are equally as lazy as the cat Koethe describes and extremely happy. Like you, I often envy the lifestyle of my two dogs. However, I am not sure I could ever live in such a carefree manner, even if I tried, due to all the stress we deal with. Also, your cat is adorable!
ReplyDeleteLizzy, this was very impressive. I liked how you went from light-hearted in the beginning to deep and thoughtful at the end. (Side note: I laughed at your use of "fanciful day dreams"). The questions you bring up at the end are very interesting. I wonder if it is possible that a person may have to choose between a life of enjoyment and a life of meaning, which usually requires more work. Obviously people get enjoyment from a job well done, but do you think that people have to be doing world or life changing/improving work to be fulfilled? Or do we just need to be doing something we enjoy even if it does not seem to benefit others?
ReplyDeleteBurl, I had to comment on this blog. It has cats. It has cat harvesting. It has a picture of Bea. however, I suggest a picture of Rexford as well, since he's the cooler cat. I'm sorry that I have to say that, but you know he's the most popular cat in the Burl household. But great post.
ReplyDeleteLizzy, I love your cat's name, Rex! I must admit that I do not like animals as you do, and we do not own any pets, so I do not envy the cat, no matter it's choice of lifestyle. After the time that I woke up the morning after sleeping over at a friends house hardly able to breathe due to that fact that their cat was sitting on my head, I like cats even less than I do before.
ReplyDelete