Comfortable

Lsp1724-comfortable

Independently Speaking

Publication Date 11-13-25

I think it’s important to pick your role models with care.

And, the average person needs a lot of them, because different people are good at different things. When I think of a politician trying to do their best for regular people, I think Harry Truman. If I’m looking for a north star to lead a life of creativity and commitment, Pete Seeger comes to mind. Despite my advanced age, the memories of my parents and other significant people in my life still help show me the way through life choices or difficulties. There are people whose work ethic I admire, and others I’m a little jealous of because of their sense of humor or other talents.

But if I’m specifically looking for guidance in leading a comfortable life, I’m looking toward my wife’s cat, Templeton.

I mean, cats in general are pretty good at the whole comfort thing. That’s something I notice on a sunny winter’s day when I look out the window and see a line of cats basking on a south facing windowsill. Templeton just takes it to a whole new level.

I was thinking about that on the first cold day of the fall when I saw him sprawled over the entire hot air vent in the kitchen. I could hear him purring from twenty feet away.

He couldn’t be bothered to share any tips with me, but I picked up quite a few just by observation.

For example, you can’t be truly comfortable unless you’re completely oblivious to the comfort of others. The vent was probably big enough for the Templeton to share with the little dog, but that option was never on the table. When the cat eats, he crouches over his dish to lap out of the far side. That way, there’s no chance of someone else getting a bite. Feeding a bunch of cats out of the same dish? I’ll tell you what you won’t see; you won’t see the older, wealthier cats letting the starving kittens have the first bite. From what I’ve observed, it’s not a “dog eat dog” world, it’s a “biggest cat eats the most” world.

By the way, it’s not just cats. I’ve observed, over the years, that the folks who seem to be the most blithely content with their lives are also the people who are more or less oblivious to the needs or suffering of others. I’m sometimes envious of that group of humanity, but I’m afraid it’s too late for me. Growing up in a family and community that took seriously “faith without works is dead” and “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can” means I’ll probably never be relaxed, let alone comfortable, the rest of my life.

The cat is still purring and still hogging the vent. Honestly, I don’t even know how to purr.

I think I’m all right with that.

Copyright 2025 Brent Olso

n