By Jeanette M. Pintar - with inspiration from Misty

Our first home in Georgia was in the remodeled basement of a large house, with one side open to a sloping hill. Our patio was shaded by a balcony, from which we hung a hammock where we loved to spend time swaying in the breeze. Or at least we tried to! The hammock had a wooden support bar on each end, intended to keep the hammock open. However, the wooden bar also had a hinge to make it portable - or to capture its dinner! After a few weeks of observing my on-again / off-again battles with the hammock, Misty took the chance to join me in it. Ironically, when she sat on my lap, the hammock was more stable. When I laid down to take a cat nap, Misty would perch herself on my tummy and purr the human-eating hammock to sleep, along with me.

Misty and I spent many magical moments together in that hammock. She taught me how to truly relax in it, how to be content right where I am, and how to lay back and gaze up at the blue (or gray) sky. Misty taught me a lot about balance, both in that hammock and in Life. She also taught me how to swing without falling and how to let the wind carry my Spirit on occasion. Most of us don’t have the luxurious hours of idleness that cats do, but we can claim a few minutes here and there, every day, to relax, get calm, centered and balanced.

Remember: When You Get The Chance To Swing In A Hammock, Take It!

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