So it’s 3:28 a.m. on Tuesday night, and I’ve been trying to fall asleep for about two hours now. Unfortunately I’ve had no luck.
I’ve been really stressed out about my blog recently, genxchronicle com. I’m trying to find new investors, and also grow our coverage, so there’s a lot on my plate right now.
On top of that, Trump just went to Helsinki to meet Putin and possibly or even probably committed treason. I mean he actually said he trusted Putin as much as he trusted the American intelligence agencies. What a jerk.
The sight of trump up there on the podium next to Putin at the news conference in Finland, kowtowing to this Russian gangster, just made me want to puke. Then again, Trump’s a gangster too, just a different kind of gangster.
But one cool thing that’s lifted my spirits over the past couple weeks is that my adopted cat Copper has been venturing onto my bed a little bit now and then. We still haven’t shared the bed for the whole night, but she’s been on my bed a few times during the day, for a few minutes here and there, and sometimes she’ll spend some time on the bed when I’m in the living room.
Copper has a fear of elevated furniture, like my bed and my couch, so she rarely joins me when I’m on them. I pet her a ton, and we hang out all the time, but usually it’s when she’s on the floor.
The thing about Copper is, she spent the first three years of her life living in a cage in an animal shelter, and I can only imagine what that did to her psyche.
Then again, the veterinarian made a house call recently, and I asked him if he thought Copper was so shy because of her time in the shelter. He said it could be, but he didn’t think that was necessarily the reason.
He said that the first eight weeks of a cat’s life are critical in determining how social they become and what type of personality they have. Copper was a stray during those first eight weeks, she was on the streets, until someone eventually found her and took her to the shelter.
So I figure that period must have been rough. She must have seen a lot of things and experienced a lot of stuff. That’s my theory at least, and maybe that’s why she’s so shy.
Tonight as I’m tossing and turning in bed, I’m listening to Tyler Childers on my phone. He’s a Bluegrass guitar player and singer, and he sounds really awesome.
I’ve been getting into Bluegrass a lot lately. I’m also learning to play guitar, so the two dovetail nicely.
Tyler Childers is young, and he sings about things like Kentucky working class struggles, coal miners, the Appalachian Mountains, and drinking whiskey. It’s so different than the New York City environment I grew up in, which might be why I like the music so much.
Just as I’m easing into “Hard Times” by Childers, I hear a thump from the edge of the bed. The lights are out and the curtain’s drawn so it’s pretty dark, but I think it’s Copper. It’s either her or a ghost, and I prefer the first option.
I sit up and look toward the edge of the bed and there she is, standing on the corner in all her glory.
Awesome! This is great. We’ve never been on the bed together during the wee hours, and I start to wonder whether this is the start of something new and cool.
I call to her. “Hey Copper, hey beautiful, come here Copper, good girl Copper, come here.”
She walks towards me as I sit up with my head propped against a pillow, and I pet her.
This is fantastic. Copper has just taken a huge step, I think to myself. Because it’s nearly completely dark in my room, and Copper is making herself extremely vulnerable by being on my bed, very near me, at a time she’s not used to. There’s no way she’s ever slept in a bed with a human before, so this is big stuff.
After a minute or so of petting, she walks toward the far corner of the bed, plops herself down, and just chills. I can’t see her that well because it’s so dark, but I’m just so psyched this is happening.
My feet are near where she’s laying, and she softly pokes a paw at my toe. I say “hey Copper,” and I move my toe towards her so that I can pet her with my foot a little.
Scratch! That was the wrong move. She reached out and scratched my toe. It’s not a huge scratch, and it barely drew blood, but I think she was letting me know that, hey, this is a new thing, take it slow my man.
Also, she probably can’t see me very well either, so maybe she didn’t know that was my foot coming at her.
Come to think of it, can cats see in the dark? A quick Google search reveals that yes, cats can indeed see in the dark. In fact, it says their night vision is ten times better than the best Army night vision equipment out there.
So I guess she saw my foot after all, and maybe she was just being playful? Her claws are razor-sharp, so I think her idea of a love tap may just be a little more powerful to me than it is to her.
In any case, it doesn’t hurt, and it’s no big deal, so I call to her again. “Come here Copper, come her beautiful!”
She comes towards me and I pet her again for another few minutes. Tyler Childers is wailing away on my Samsung phone, singing about hard luck and no luck, from his album Bottles and Bibles. I’ve always thought that was a great name, because it perfectly captures a lot of the spirit of the South.
I want to record everything that’s happening, so I start to dictate this episode of Copper’s Corner into my phone. But the microphone isn’t working very well — I need a new phone! — so I leave Copper on the bed, saying “good girl, good girl, stay on the bed, you’re doing great Copper, I love you Copper,” in a soft voice as I leave the room.
Then I head into the living room, turn on the light, sit down at my laptop, and write. The overwhelming feeling I have is one of gratitude, combined with happiness and connection. Because I really feel that Copper and I are continuing to connect on a deeper and deeper level every day, and that’s a great thing, it really is.
Pretty soon I’ll go back in the bedroom and try and get some rest. I hope Copper will join me on the bed again. Ever since I adopted her I’ve been dreaming of waking up in bed to her beautiful face, and snuggling with her, and all that good stuff.
Now that it’s finally starting to happen, and she’s opening up so much, I’m over the moon with joy.
So thank you Copper for taking a risk and joining me on the bed in the small hours of the night. Let’s keep our relationship moving forward, and let’s keep getting to know each other.
You’re the best sweetheart.
