Many years ago, I lived in a neighborhood where an outdoor cat had a habit of walking in mud puddles and then jumping up on parked cars, leaving a line of muddy paw prints across the car. Maybe the cat thought of itself as an artist. We usually kept our cars safely in the garage, but the cat got my husband’s car once when it was in the driveway, and our daughter (who was very young) thought it was hilarious when he grumbled, “I hate cats!” For a long time after that, she went around saying, “Daddy HATES cats!” and giggling.

That memory came to mind not long ago, randomly, when I was looking at a cat picture online. It got me thinking about how quickly life goes by. Even when things seem like major annoyances at the time, we may find that they make us smile later.

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to encourage self-nurturing and to “give the planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.”