This morning Jon was thinking about why Zip seemed to be so important, not just to us, but to the people who read our blogs too. I knew he was getting ready to write about this so expected him to ask me what I thought.
Jon had just dried off from a shower and I was getting ready to take one. The three dogs huddled around the bathroom door waiting for their morning treat.
As I thought about it, the first thing that came to my mind was that now the farm was whole again. Without a cat on the farm, an important part of it was missing.
I thought about when Jon gave away the sheep and donkeys one winter when he was going through his divorce. There was no Bedlam Farm without the farm animals. Why bother living with all those pastures, fences, and barns if they were going to be empty?
He got the donkeys back that spring and that’s when I got my first three sheep, Tess, Suzy and Socks.
A cat doesn’t take up the space that sheep and donkeys do, but that doesn’t make a cat any less important to the wholeness of the farm.
It’s certainly a practical decision to have a cat on a farm. Someone needs to keep the small rodent population down. But for me, a barn cat also takes up a felt space. Not having a barn cat throws the balance of the farm off. Similar to how I felt when my dog Frieda, who came to my studio every day, died and I was without a “work” dog. Then we got Fate and balance was restored.
Bedlam Farm without a cat is just incomplete.
I can feel the difference when I wake up in the morning. And now that Zip is out of the crate and settled on the farm, I feel once again a sense of peace that all is where it should be.
As to why other people find Zip so important. Well…I’ll have to think about that some more. Or maybe I’ll just read Jon’s piece about it. I’d bet he’s figured it out by now.
Beautifully put. That’s it exactly. What a gift you have to be able to put the concept into words!
🙂
I think you’re exactly right. When a piece is missing the energy feels out of harmony.
Definitely an energy thing Christy.