Its Not Just All About You.

This is another lesson that I need to learn again and again.

I'm a planner. I like a neat, organized plan and I like to carry it out efficiently and effectively. A straight line between point A and B. This is one of the reasons I liked and admired Obama's campaign.

Unfortunately, life (or at least my life) doesn't always follow the script. And I'm beginning to realize that this is because its not all about me.

Case in point - my cat (excuse the 'single woman with a cat' cliche for a moment and stick with me).

I decided to get a new cat a few years ago after my pet died. This time I would get a short-haired, female kitten with dark hair that didn't show on every pair of black pants I owned. This kitten would be well-mannered, yet playful. Affectionate, yet not needy. Perfect.

Fast forward to three months after my break-up with the guy who was supposed to be my Mr. Right (Ex-Right).
I was depressed, I was lonely, I was hurting. I was desperate to think about anyone other than Ex-Right.

Enter Mr. Wrong.

Mr. Wrong is probably a nice person, but certainly was the wrong person for me; and, in fairness, I knew this from the get-go. But Mr. Wrong was the complete opposite of Ex-Right, and so that made him Mr. Right Now for me.

Mr. Wrong lived on the wrong side of the tracks next door to an unsavory character who had purchased an $800 show cat for his girlfriend. The girlfriend dumped him, and left her show cat behind (LOSER). Her trashy ex took out his aggression on the absent girlfriend by abusing and neglecting the show cat --- what a guy.

Mr. Wrong tried to convince me to rescue - aka steal - the show cat. I don't steal pets. Sorry, not what I do.

And then one night in the middle of December I left Mr. Wrong's house at 3am in the middle of a freezing rainstorm. The show cat was hiding under the car, dripping wet, scared and shivering. I've never seen a cat shiver before. It was then that I realized that I do steal pets. Sorry, its what I do.

The show cat was an adult, not a kitten. Long haired, with white fur that shows on everything, and male (and I was not so hip on males at the time). Not what I'd ordered. The show cat also had adjustment problems to a new home, fearing that I would kick him, yell at him, or neglect him as had his trashy ex-parents; therefore the show cat did not have the behavior resume I had ordered.

But long story short, it wasn't all about me. This cat needed a home and I needed a cat. I thought of bailing --- I even posted an ad on Craig's list. But after a long, involved journey with a cat whisperer (no, not kidding, and I will come back to that another day) and a run away, the show cat and I have decided that we belong to each other and are living happily ever after.

It made me realize that perhaps many things in life that haven't come my way yet --- on my calendar, on my clock --- may be moving toward me on a time schedule that benefits another party. What a novel idea.