Scooter Came Home!

"Scooter came home!" That was the text I received from my daughter tonight after her beloved cat ran out of the house this afternoon and disappeared into the woods. 

She had called to tell me just after it happened. As you may surmise, she was beside herself, heart-broken and worried. But worse, she was beating herself up because Scooter had scooted. 

Irresponsible, not paying attention, the list was long... too long. Her guilt was nearly debilitating...in that moment.

How do you respond when you mess up? Are you forgiving or punitive in your self-talk? Do you acknowledge the circumstances and give yourself permission to make a mistake?  Or do you blame yourself?

To entice Scooter to come home, there was tuna and water placed by the back door. The neighborhood had been scoured repeatedly, but no sign of Scooter.

I shared my story of being a kid when our family cat, Smokey, left home for nearly 2 weeks...he eventually came home. I was so dismayed about his disappearance. But Smokey came home. And we were all so surprised; and, of course, overjoyed to see him.

Life gives us curve balls every so often. They throw us off balance and play havoc with our emotions. Just try to catch that ball, and don't let it fly out of control. Then, just toss it back, knowing you controlled the damage. 

But even if you drop the ball, be kind to yourself. Take action to remedy the situation (like tuna and water) and have faith in the outcome. Often, things really do work out in the end.

Dismay, guilt, and beating yourself up will give way to joy and relief. Just keep the faith. And take positive steps toward a better ending.

Remember, Scooter came home! And that was worthy of a happy dance.