Open The Door

Her name is Mira.  My new love.  She’s beautiful, smart, athletic.  She’s fun and silly.  And confident.  Boy is she confident.  She walks around naked all day long with not an ounce of self consciousness.  I don’t think I could do that in my house—it has big windows and people would talk.  But she doesn’t care—and what can I say? I’ve fallen in love and she’s here to stay! 

I didn’t want a cat.  No way.  I grew up with no cats.  My dad didn’t want to clean up after pets or pay for them or find a pet sitter when we traveled.  So I learned to say “No”.  Plus, I was allergic:  I would sneeze when I was around cats and my eyes puffed up and watered.

So when this cute cat came around from the wild outdoors and my wife and son started falling for her, I resisted. All the forces from the past came alive in my being and my usual openness faded.  My moment-to-moment inner state was open, open…and then when the cat appeared…closed!

I knew the cat (actually there were two of them, but that’s another story) was a good thing for my wife, who was enjoying her company outdoors in our back yard, but my own past was a strong opponent to the Power of Now.  

About that same time I was making some dietary changes to improve my health.  My family and friends were saying they wanted me to care more about my physical health and stick around for the long haul. I felt I owed that to them, so I was eating healthier, cutting out dairy and reducing my junk food intake.  

Interestingly, that had a very positive effect on any interactions with the cat:  I noticed my allergies were decreasing—just a little bit of eyes itching, just a little inflammation.  Not the usual big reaction.  The past was receding.  

Seeing my family so happy with the cat and knowing what that could lead to (adoption), I became even more motivated. 

I paid even more attention to food cravings (like sweets) and let my family’s happiness motivate me rather than my resistance to change.  

We started letting Mira onto the porch, then only in our son’s room.  And one day when the fall nights became really cold, she came into the house.

By that time, my diet changes had taken root and felt natural.  Amazingly my body was barely allergic to cats just as my resistance to having a cat in the house had faded.  And all of this was happening together.  It took a year, but my heart had opened even more.  Growth.  

These days, I’ve discovered how amazing this little creature is.  A couple of months ago, I started playing with her a little. She pounced into action and made me smile, and we slowly warmed up to one another.  Now she follows me around and I look for opportunities to play with her...I mean, "make sure she gets her daily exercise".  

What do cats and diets and making people happy have to do with meditation and mindfulness?  These practices are not only means to wake up to what is actually happening in our lives and to experience peace, but also to forget about ourselves—to be less self centered.  To experience less “me” and more “we”.  

The more open we become, the more we notice that problems and solutions arrive together.  Growth is hidden behind resistance.  Knowing this, life can become more of a play rather than a fight and the mysterious force of Love is free to do its work. 

This coming year, how about we take a look at where are we stuck in “me”.  And where we could open to “we,” face our own resistance, and take some steps to grow—letting our hearts slowly and gently open, open…open.  Where are you stuck in "me" and how can you open to "we"?

Copyright © 2025 Kurt Scholler / (734) 973-2040 / East Lansing, MI