“Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind.”

[mina7601]

6 hours ago, msfntor said:

Deep Breathing Cures Everything – The Amazing Benefits of Proper Breathing

... Deep breathing has been shown to improve mental health, physical health, and emotional well-being. When you practice deep breathing regularly, it can help you feel more relaxed and at ease. It can also reduce stress levels, anxiety, and tension headaches. Deep breathing is a great way to relieve pain and discomfort caused by conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic pain. Additionally, it can help improve sleep quality and reduce the risk of health problems like heart disease and high blood pressure.

So how do you start practicing deep breathing? It’s actually very simple! Here are a few tips:

Find a quiet place to relax and focus on your breath

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in and out

Try to focus on the sensations your breath creates – such as the air entering and exiting your nose or mouth, the rise and fall of your chest, etc.

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start incorporating deep breathing into your daily routine....

HERE: https://www.charismaticplanet.com/deep-breathing-cures-everything/

It's the thing I always do!

[AstroSkipper]

On 9/2/2022 at 1:19 PM, msfntor said:

The first day (and night) with 'Mía'.
How I learned that cats always do whatever they want and that anything under a sheet is susceptible to being bitten.

PEDRO ZUAZUA
Madrid - 14 SEP 2016 - 11:42 UTC
Exactly one year ago I told my best friend: "Look Miguel, in my house a cat doesn't enter. Period." Well I lied. Not entirely, since it has finally been a cat, but wow, that's the only argument I can hold on to to not be slaughtered for going back on my word (and more so in front of a friend who will use it to his advantage in any debate).

Mía usurping the TV remote control.
PEDRO ZUAZUA
The thing is that Mía, a common European white and light brown cat, arrived home on Sunday morning, June 19. She was just two months old. She arrived in a bag (my girlfriend Barbara's, the one that made all this possible) and, on the way to her new home, she stuck her head out and looked attentively at everything that was going on around her.

When he arrived, he sniffed everything. Like a good first-time parent, I put his food, water and sandbox in the same corner of the house. I filled the feeder to the top, in case the apocalypse came, and I let him loose a couple of toys around the house (a very nice hedgehog and a phosphorescent yellow stuffed animal that disappeared the first day and that, despite its striking appearance, has not reappeared). He neither ate nor drank, but took a good nap on the bookshelf, on a catalog of the work of the painter Dario de Regoyos.

During that first afternoon, I changed the traditional visits to the traditional cat videos for more professional consultations. In La loca de los gatos I discovered some tricks and suddenly I found myself building a toy with an old shoe box, exploring corners of the house to leave hidden prizes (cats are hunters, guys!) and studying every movement she made, to see if it was a symptom of something. Yes, I checked several times to see if he was still breathing.

When she woke up, I played with her for a while with the unhappy illusion of tiring her out for the night. The first day with a cat one learns several things: among them that they do what they want, when they want and the way they want. Mia decided she wanted to win my heart by falling asleep on my belly while we watched TV. At the same time that an Albanian named Sadiku scored the winning goal for his team against Romania, my cat crossed her front paws and closed her eyes.

Mía prefers to sleep among books.
PEDRO ZUAZUA
And of course, I melted. Especially because I could not anticipate the night that awaited me, full of purring, meowing and a strange fondness for trying to massage my hair. I could barely sleep for 20 minutes at a time. The first night with a cat you also learn that anything hidden under a sheet or blanket is susceptible to being bitten and scratched. And also that "No!" is enough to make them look at you for a second with a "Are you talking to me?" face, but that pedagogically the method still needs some evolution.

When it dawned, I didn't know if I hated her or loved her.

But there was no turning back. I had already posted a picture of Mia on my Instagram profile, and you know, in the cat world, an Instagram is forever.

 

HERE: https://elpais.com/elpais/2016/09/14/animalesycia/1473847475_844173.html#?rel=mas

Hello @msfntor! Thank you for the linked article about Mia! I have been a cat person since I was 10 years old. I love all cats, and we have one ourselves. Unfortunately only one, her sister died over 2 years ago (due to illness). Anyway, I can absolutely confirm that cats always do what they want, like little Mia! Cats have a mind of their own, and I love that more than anything.

Cheers, AstroSkipper

[msfntor]

1 hour ago, AstroSkipper said:

Hello @msfntor! Thank you for the linked article about Mia! I have been a cat person since I was 10 years old. I love all cats, and we have one ourselves. Unfortunately only one, her sister died over 2 years ago (due to illness). Anyway, I can absolutely confirm that cats always do what they want, like little Mia! Cats have a mind of their own, and I love that more than anything.

Cheers, AstroSkipper

Ah my dear @AstroSkipper so you love cats, very cool!

Every cat has its own personality, its own character, and a lot of love. Really a lot of love. It's up to us to decide, if we want to have this love to be expressed to us, and vice versa...I'm owned by all cats. Especially by the sick ones.

"Delighting in our physical presence, they may begin to purr and perhaps roll on their backs, exposing their vulnerability. As if to say, “I trust you. Give me some love and make me feel good.” Their gift to us is that they receive us deeply, without any troubling cognitions or disturbing memories of less savory moments, such as when we forgot to feed them... They’re just here with us right now."

HERE: If You Love Cats, This May Be Why: What felines can teach us about affection: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/intimacy-path-toward-spirituality/201507/if-you-love-cats-may-be-why

"Research has shown that cats can be very healing for us. A 10-year research study suggests that cat owners were less likely to die of heart attacks than people who have never owned one. The latter group was 40 percent more likely to die from heart attacks and 30 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease. Other studies confirm that cats can lower our blood pressure and release dopamine and serotonin, which reduce stress and improve immune functioning.

Cats can also help release oxytocin, which is associated with the feeling of being in love. As we know, love heals, and perhaps an important aspect of this healing is the bonding created by their ability to receive us deeply..."

"Be a cat. Get out of your head, take a deep, easy breath, and be mindfully present with how it feels in your body to receive a hug and affection from a loved one. Whether from a cat or human, letting in love just might heal you."

© John Amodeo

For you @AstroSkipper: 

 

*The PEDRO ZUAZUA articles I've translated:

A man and his two cats ( on page 22 of this topic)

A cat does not enter my house. Period. (on page 22)

The first day (and night) with 'Mía'. (on page 23)

How 'Mía' met her grandmother (on page 23)

A single cat leads to another cat (on page 23)

Thank you all!

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by msfntor

[msfntor]

CATS LOVE pictures (on Bing):

 pinterest

 pinterest

 tumblr

 pinterest

 facebook

... and many more!

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by msfntor

[AstroSkipper]

1 hour ago, msfntor said:

Ah my dear @AstroSkipper so you love cats, very cool!

Every cat has its own personality, its own character, ...

For you @AstroSkipper: 

Thank you for this nice picture! I love it!

[XPerceniol]

23 hours ago, msfntor said:

Deep Breathing Cures Everything – The Amazing Benefits of Proper Breathing

... Deep breathing has been shown to improve mental health, physical health, and emotional well-being. When you practice deep breathing regularly, it can help you feel more relaxed and at ease. It can also reduce stress levels, anxiety, and tension headaches. Deep breathing is a great way to relieve pain and discomfort caused by conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic pain. Additionally, it can help improve sleep quality and reduce the risk of health problems like heart disease and high blood pressure.

So how do you start practicing deep breathing? It’s actually very simple! Here are a few tips:

Find a quiet place to relax and focus on your breath

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in and out

Try to focus on the sensations your breath creates – such as the air entering and exiting your nose or mouth, the rise and fall of your chest, etc.

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start incorporating deep breathing into your daily routine....

HERE: https://www.charismaticplanet.com/deep-breathing-cures-everything/

Thank you ... very important to feel the air (positive energy) going into the body (especially the upper lobes ... feel and be aware of it) breathe in white energy and breathe exhale expel out the black BS. Try to visualize as such and be aware of the process, but only a few times a day and back to allowing the mind and body work on its own.

Yes, I do this in part of my mediation exercises each day to cope with stress.

Edited September 6, 2022 by XPerceniol

[msfntor]

If you have a cat, your name is Karen
The story of the cat Scarlett, who saved her kittens from a fire, popularizes and sweetens the hitherto derogatory term Karen.

Karen Wellen with Scarlett, in an image from her Facebook.

PEDRO ZUAZUA

March 30, 1996 was a day of snow and fire in the Brooklyn borough of New York. In addition to the whiteout falling from the sky, there was a fire in an abandoned garage where drugs were being trafficked and consumed. It was the beginning of a story -told in an analog world- that went around the world and the origin of a term -expanded in a completely virtual environment- that is used today to call the millions of people who share their lives with cats.

When the fire was already under control, firefighter David Giannelli noticed a cat going in and out of the burning premises. He repeated the journey up to five times: she was taking out her kittens one by one. According to Giannelli, during the last forays, she was already so affected by the smoke and flames that she kept bumping her muzzle against them to recognize them. She managed to get them all out.

Giannelli handed over the six animals to the North Shore Animal League, an association founded in 1944, which took care of them. Once they were cured, the next challenge began: finding a family for each of the five cats - one of the kittens died of its injuries. The problem, contrary to what usually happens with animal adoptions, was the excess of applicants. In just over a month, more than 6,000 letters had been received. The story of Scarlett - that was the name of the mother cat - took up pages in the newspapers and minutes on radio and television in several countries. Popular host Oprah Winfrey offered first-class tickets to Chicago for the cats to participate in her special Mother's Day program. The shelter did not agree.

From the thousands of letters received to adopt Scarlett, those that met the requirements were selected - they were asked to explain their reasons in a paragraph. First, there were five finalists. Then, only three. "It was Scarlett who decided, because she kept hovering over my letter. Or at least that's what I was told...", explains Karen Wellen, the New Yorker who adopted the cat in 1996, on the other end of the Facebook video call. A freelancer in the advertising industry, she had been involved in a serious car accident - "I wasn't driving," she says - a few years earlier. And that was precisely what she recounted in her letter. "I thought I wasn't going to have any chance of adopting her. We are talking about thousands and thousands of letters, at a time when technology was not used as it is today. Few people had Internet, cell phones or printers...," he says. A large adoption event was organized and attended by numerous media outlets. "I even got to go live on the BBC! It was the first time we saw Scarlett's colors. Up until then, all the pictures had been in black and white," she recalls.

When Scarlett left the shelter, her face held the memory of that night in Brooklyn in the form of bald patches. "She had a human look. She was a very expressive cat. She was very smart and very affectionate. She came out to greet all the visitors. Everybody could pet her, everybody could hold her...I think about her all the time," Karen recalls to the point of emotion. "And she loved the cameras," she adds. In the more than twelve years he lived with her, the house became a film set on numerous occasions. "It aroused interest all over the world. Especially in Japan." Several books were also published about her story.

Scarlett passed away on October 11, 2008. Her memory is kept alive in Karen's home and on the Facebook page, which has more than 23,000 followers. And, in parallel, another global story has grown, especially in Latin America. The social networks, where there are numerous profiles that personify cats - those of the Spanish Kratos, the Chilean Sakura or the Colombian Tommy the monkey cat would be a good example - have extended the use of the term "Karen" for women who live with cats and "Karen Macho" for men. With a subtle blend of the gifts of felinity - that is, lackadaisicalness, moral superiority, irony and natural grace- the minines starring in the videos have popularized the term Karen to speak -and criticize; and command- their owners.

"Some time ago, I began to notice that new followers were coming in from Mexico, Chile, Colombia... I didn't understand why. A follower wrote me and explained it to me. I find it very funny. And even more so considering that in the United States Karen is little less than an insult, because it refers to an arrogant, aggressive, upper-middle class woman, tired of everything... When I saw that it had a different meaning... and so beautiful... it made me very excited".

Asked if she is considering adopting again, she confesses that she has doubts: "my day-to-day life is complicated now. In two years I have lost my parents, I have had some health problems... I think that for the time being I will continue to take care of the stray colonies I take care of". Karen regularly updates Scarlett's Facebook page and uploads images of cats and other New York urban wildlife. Why doesn't she take a stab at conquering the other social networks? "I try to keep it as simple as possible. Facebook only. No Instagram, no Twitter, no Tiktok. If I opened all those profiles, I wouldn't be able to get up from my computer. I would need a second life." I would need, specifically, to be a cat. They're up to seven for a reason.

HERE: https://elpais.com/gente/2021-08-26/si-tiene-gato-usted-se-llama-karen.html

[AstroSkipper]

My cat is a black one. 
She is more than 20 years old. She is a full member of our family and is loved more than anything else. 

Edited September 6, 2022 by AstroSkipper

[msfntor]

At least she knows why she is 'crazy'.
Sometimes something comes along that gives meaning to everything, that binds us obsessively and makes us hostages of something good and generous

MANUEL JABOIS

Asunción Capllonch feeding a group of cats in Colonia de Sant Jordi (Mallorca).

A few days ago I was in Ses Salines (Mallorca) visiting a friend who was confined there. She has two dachshunds, Berta and Cuba, that we took to bathe near Es Trenc every day before lunch and dinner, after work. In a place in Colonia de Sant Jordi, near the lighthouse, there is a small parking lot, next to the hotel zone, where we were always greeted by a lot of silent and wild cats, taken from Don Gato and his gang; the dachshunds would stick their tails inside, scared to death, and we would take them in our arms until we reached the rocks. There are few things scarier than finding 20 living beings together with whom you can't communicate, and one of those things is being able to do so.

On the last day of my visit, as we were getting into the car, a lady parked with two girls. All three got out, the woman with two huge plastic bags. We left the dogs in our car and got out as well. As soon as we saw her, the 20 cats lying in the shade were joined by another 10 shy ones coming out of everywhere. The woman walked over to a handmade feeder in a small open field, and emptied the bags into several wooden pivots that she had also, like the feeder, made herself. She had cooked the food in the morning and it was several kilos of rice and meat. I asked her name and she said: "Asunción Capllonch". I asked her how long she had been doing this, and she said: "35 years". I asked her how old she was, and she replied that she would soon be 64, although she looked much younger. The girls, he told us, were his granddaughters.

We sat for a moment and he told us his story. Every day for 35 years she has gone there to feed the cats. Never a vacation, never a trip; when she got sick, and this rarely happened, a friend of hers would replace her. And her husband? Her daughter? "Well, they say I'm crazy," she said with a laugh. The butcher gives her every day what he has left over (chicken, beef, pork) and she cooks it with rice and mixes it all together after cutting the meat with kitchen scissors. She has seen many cats die and she has had to sacrifice many cats in these 35 years, she has seen the inconsideration of people who have left newborn kittens hidden in the area, she has seen dozens of them grow up, she has become attached to them. We talked until late, the girls had to leave, I asked for her phone number. There was something that interested me and I didn't have time to ask her: how it starts.

When a topic gives a lot to talk about, read everything there is to say.

I called her a few days later, already from Madrid. She told me that in the eighties a Swiss couple came to the south of the island. The woman, in love with animals, bought a piece of land and kept cats and dogs there. The house was cleaned by an aunt of Asuncion's; after her aunt died, Asuncion herself took over. "I was terrified of animals," she said. But she began to take care of them, and continued to take care of them after the death of her husband and wife, and she did the same with the cats that approached her, attracted by the food. By the time she realized it, she couldn't stop. "Some things you do because you start doing them. I would die if one day they didn't eat. A person who loves, suffers a lot." She goes every day at three o'clock in the afternoon, but with the pandemic the seagulls are hungry and at that hour they pounce on the cats' food, scaring them away. That's why we found her at nine o'clock at night.

She has had conflicts with the neighbors because of the number of cats that prowl that open field. I'm sure they're right, and I'm sure she's absolutely right. I believe that sometimes something appears that gives sense to everything, that ties us obsessively and that turns us into hostages of something good and generous. There are people who suddenly, without realizing it, begin to feel that their happiness does not consist in indulging themselves but in not failing that which they have chosen in a sensitive and exquisite way, something that apparently means nothing to anyone and means everything to those who give it importance and make the world last longer, and be better, thanks to these acts of selfless love. When they call her, and they call her a lot, "the crazy cat lady", she replies that at least she knows why she is crazy....

HERE: https://elpais.com/opinion/2020-06-30/al-menos-ella-sabe-por-que-esta-loca.html

[D.Draker]

On 9/4/2022 at 8:00 PM, mina7601 said:

Thank you for being peaceful and helping me.

you're welcome.

[D.Draker]

Hi everyone , I'm grateful to the mother nature for healing me up and all of you , of course ! I'm much better and will be off soon . 

[XPerceniol]

1 hour ago, D.Draker said:

Hi everyone , I'm grateful to the mother nature for healing me up and all of you , of course ! I'm much better and will be off soon . 

Glad you're better and I promised I'd only be positive for you. Wishing you well safe deployment and safe return to us. People do care about you here.

[D.Draker]

2 hours ago, XPerceniol said:

Glad you're better and I promised I'd only be positive for you. Wishing you well safe deployment and safe return to us. People do care about you here.

Thank you , this means a lot to me , honestly !

[D.Draker]

Sorry guys , I didn't read the posts in the last days , I was tryng to heal faster by saving my strength ... and I did !

[mina7601]

7 hours ago, D.Draker said:

Hi everyone , I'm grateful to the mother nature for healing me up and all of you , of course ! I'm much better and will be off soon . 

That's great! I am glad you're better.