the joy, joy, joy of kittens

I now believe that two fuzzy little kittens are the salve that could solve all of life’s challenges - or at least make them more bearable. Can we not send kittens as a good faith offering to our adversaries around the world? Can we not unite around common cuteness? Can we not put Democrats and Republicans in Congress alone in a room with kittens?

This is not a small, fake stuffed mouse, silly human! How contained is your thinking. It is a flying projectile to delight and bite! See how it clings to the paw and yet hurls away when tossed? Note how it can be bitten on the top and kicked on the bottom all at the same time. See how my brother covets the small, soft fluff I tussle….. I am king of this mouse, king of this room, king of the universe! Ouch! What is this flying leap on my head??? Ambush!!! Nuzzle, bite, kick - aha you best me; wait, I best you…. wait! What’s that? A green spring across the room…. must get to the spring. Look how fast I fly - I am a feline bullet upon the spring. Pounce, toss… I am king of this spring.

Now, suddenly, look my human is sitting at her computer. How cozy is that human. Getting. Sleepy. Must. Purr. On. Human….. Brother…. on… top… of me… Prr.rr. Human…Brother…Prrrr….Sleep…

We still have lots of details to work out on how to integrate these crazy buggers into our lives… we’ve got minor allergies, stinky litter, an unexpected kitten surgery, and curious dogs…. but - look at the flying feather! See how it lures me then stops? Must - get - feather - wait for it—————POUNCE!

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Science tells us that looking at pictures of cute baby animals both raises our levels of happiness and can increase our concentration and productivity (Lots of sources but here are a few examples: On happiness, on concentration. We also know that lots of little microseconds of joy add up…. From Super Better, by Jane Gonigal:

Longitudinal studies of hundreds of thousands of people have documented that experiencing feelings like curiosity, hope, laughter, and wonder seems to make people more resilient to illness an injury. …. The research also shows that when it comes to positive emotion, frequency is more important than intensity. Little positive things matter and pile up. You don’t have to make major improvements in your life or experience huge bursts of powerful, all-consuming positive emotion to increase your resilience. instead, the most effective strategy is to collect as many microbursts of positive emotion as you can throughout the day. (p.169)

So, the following indulgent kitten photos and videos are a gift to your health and happiness!

🤣😻🐶

-NW