How to Live Fully in Pains - Learnings from My Beloved Cat
8 May 2024
After I received this news, I was left in total shock!
In January 2024, one of my senior cats, P had been diagnosed with a bladder tumor.
More sadly, the tumor was found at the exit of her bladder.
Along the growth of the tumor, P’s urination would be hindered, and subsequently blocked.
Two months later, the tumor doubled its size.
Removal of the tumor totally was infeasible due to its location. P entered her last phase of life!
After I received this news, I was left in total shock.
In the following 48 hours, I immersed myself with all possible sadness, worries and tears. Tumor…Fears…Pains…Loss of P...
Then I tilted my head up and looked at P. I realized that P was sleeping as normal; eating and drinking as normal; and toileting as normal! P, the one who had been diagnosed with terminal illness, was maintaining her daily routine as if nothing had been happening.
When I observed closely, 2 changes were noticeable.
First, P would cry at times during her urinations. These cries were possibly related to her physical distress.
Second, P wanted more touches, padding and cuddling from us (my husband and I). She enjoyed so much about taking part in our lives, no matter whether we were dining, working, playing or simply sitting on the sofa. P would continuously and repeatedly show her love, as well as demand touches and interactions.
Suddenly, I realized that P, my senior cat had embraced her life and live continuously and fully.
What a beautiful response to life!
Thank you P, as you have showed me, step by step, in real life, how to embrace life, how to live continuously and fully, despite all the uncertainties in life / health / things that we once considered as important.
Yes, there would be pains, emotional and physical pains in life.
Yes, we would turn sad and tearful in these moments.
At the same time, we could still continue
TO LIVE AND TO LOVE FULLY, to embrace our relationships and interactions with our beloved ones in the midst of the physical distresses / pains!
If we don't have some beloved ones to love or to be loved, maybe we could start with passers-by.
Simple things like a sincere greeting, or a quiet blessing!
That is already beautiful and meaningful!
