Whew. What a week!
It has been so busy for me that I have had very little time to spend on anything except school work. As a teacher, MANY things divert my focus away from my family and home. Lesson plans, meetings, paperwork, parent conferences, etc. Even though middle school dismissal is at 2:40 every day, many evenings I do not get home until 5:00. Even then, I oftentimes bring more work home with me... I adore what I do, but I am usually exhausted and kind of cranky when I get in.
When I arrived home Wednesday evening, the sight below is what greeted me. (This bin is where I store my winter scarves...by the door, in the area we refer to as the breakfast room.)
I have a shadow; his name is Horatio. When I am not home, he finds something of mine to snuggle, or he sleeps on my side of the bed, waiting for me to arrive and give him some attention. If I am at home, he follows me from room to room, sits right on top of whatever I am doing (books, papers, keyboard, phone book...), and sits not just in my lap, but sort of on my chest trying to get closer to me than just on my lap. At night, he snuggles my left side in the crook of my arm at the elbow or he rests on my pillow with his paw on my head. I have a shadow.
You might need to know the whole story to really understand.
We have five cats. (Yes, I said five.) Somehow, THEY have become our focus...I never considered myself to be a pet lover. (I used to make fun of people who treated their pets like family. Sorry...but it's true.) Now, I have five other members of my family, and people most likely make fun of me. (It's ok. I can take it.) You might be wondering how this happened to someone who did not really like pets. Well, Horatio happened. He is my heart...I ADORE this cat. We got him for my daughter, when she was much younger and was begging for a sibling. (After having our daughter when I was 17, I did not want other children while I was still so young, and then when we finally decided we wanted others, I found that I could not get pregnant.) Hence, the cat...something for her (the daughter) to love and take care of...except that this cat REALLY loved me. I became his focus. Seriously. To try and make this ridiculously long post shorter, I will just say that we got the other four cats trying to find one that would focus on our daughter. Evidently, I am a cat magnet. (Now, the daughter would like a dog.)
What I love is that when I return home after a long day, with my mind elsewhere, this sweet cat can be my focus. He loves me no matter what I have done, or not done. He does not really want anything from me just my attention (except for food...he has an eating disorder...he overeats like me!) He oftentimes makes me smile. Just like those of you that have multiple children, I love ALL of our cats. Really I do. But somehow, Horatio has stolen my heart...and my focus.
Need more focus? Check out
Stacy's lovely photos and comments. Also, drop by my dear friend,
Natalie's blog for a fantastic giveaway!
