By Jeanette M. Pintar - with inspiration from Misty

If there was something Misty excelled at, besides napping, it was asking for her favorite treat, Fishies! She knew where those colorful little Whiska Lickin's bags were stored - and the sound of their cabinet door opening! Somehow she would materialize out of thin air with a very persistent "merow-mrow-merow" if there was even the remote possibility of a Fishie involved. And if that didn't work, she put everything she had into an unmistakable "Meeeeeeroowwww!"

But there was a catch. Misty was not allowed to have her treats until 8pm. This rule was enacted when we realized she would forego eating her Science Diet for treats. Although she would have preferred a strict diet entirely of Fishies, 24/7, Misty soon learned she would not get them before eight o'clock. Of course, she would still hit us up for her favorite feline feast through out the afternoon, each time being told, "Not now, Misty." So she'd retire her quest momentarily and then come back later. When we grew tired of her pestering, we'd tell her, "Not Now, Misty! Not another peep until eight o'clock!" She'd turn her back, give us a sassy little "mreh!" (we think this meant "stupid humans") and then she'd come back at exactly 8:00pm. If we weren't by the Fishie Cabinet, she'd wait until 8:01pm to come get us, announcing the arrival of the Fishie Hour. And yes, she adhered to Daylight Savings Time… usually better than we did!

What significance could Fishies and a cat that could tell time have in your life? Plenty! Misty learned to tell more than time; she learned faith and the simple principle that "not now" doesn't mean "not ever." So often we want our prayers answered and our dreams fulfilled right this instant. But they're not - and we get discouraged when we should be giving thanks that a Higher Power than ourselves knows better for us. If things are not moving as quickly in your life as you'd like them to, assume it's because you're not quite ready yet. There's something more you need to learn or do. In Misty's case, she needed to eat her dinner. In our case, it might mean developing faith, strengthening ourselves or a relationship, building better people skills, learning our trade to a more skilled level or any number of things. Work on it for a while and know that you will be rewarded when the time is right.

Remember: Not now does not mean not ever.

--- © Jeanette M. Pintar, inspired by Misty