I use to hate cats. I would see them in pet stores and purposely avoid them while I admired the puppies. I hated their sharp claws and how they are so selfishly indifferent to people’s well-being. Dogs are so cuddly and incredibly happy all the time, so I thought “why the hell do people even own cats?” Well my perspective of cats completely changed when my grandmother’s cat gave birth to six kittens, and she needed to find homes for all of them. A ton of photos were sent to me of the kittens and I admit that they were adorable as hell, but that did not mean I wanted to own one of them. My family knew I was adamant about not owning a cat because we already had two dogs and did not need anymore animals in the house. So my grandma slowly found a few people that were trustworthy enough to give the kittens to except for two of them. My grandma did not have the time or the energy to take care of the kittens, so my mom came home one day with a basket and said we were going to babysit one of them—and by “we” she meant me. I thought that this was going to be a burden, but the complete opposite happened. I started making toys for the cat, feeding it, and had it sleep on my chest. He would nibble on my finger with his sharp teeth, and would scratch my hand a little with his claws. Two days of my summer were dedicated to chilling with this cat, and I loved every second of it. This is not a dramatic change in a belief compared to other people’s situations, but for someone who really thought that they would hate cats all of their life, I shocked myself by how quickly my attitude towards cats changed.
This may sound silly, but something that I believe has guided me towards The Real is my nonchalant attitude. A common problem I have seen with people in high school and now in college is that people are always so anxious and worried all the time. Whether it be because they have an exam or because they are afraid to be in a certain social situation, almost everyone seems to be uneasy. I have realized that people spend so much time worrying about whatever their problem is rather than facing it and getting it out of the way. I have certain goals in life which I hope guide me to The Real, but I know that a major part of my success will be because of my ability to remain calm and composed in the most stressful situations. Overall my point is, don’t take things so seriously!!!
