Cuddling

I am a dog person.  And I have the most perfect dog for me.  He does his thing.  I do mine.  He prefers to have minimal to no physical contact with me.  No petting.  Very little scratching.  And absolutely no cuddling.  He's the perfect match.  And if I try to do any of the aforementioned activities...I am presented with a toy.  He loves to play with his toys.  No snuggling, just good times.

We are matched perfectly because I tend to share his lack of passion for physical contact.  Well, this perfect match, has recently been rocked by a kitten.  A cute, cuddly kitten.  I need to take a quick minute and clarify one point...I am NOT a cat person.  I am a dog person.  But I acquired a cute kitten for a specific purpose:  to hunt things.  "Things" includes lizards, roaches, rats--really anything but my dog.  I expect this cat to hunt.  Hence, he is named Hunter  (to my beautiful cousin, I am so sorry for naming my cat the same name as your son, my cute, chubby-cheeked little cousin--if it means anything, your Hunter is way cuter than my Hunter).  So I have this cat now.  Except I have managed to acquired what has to be the world's most cuddly cat.  No joke,,,if I am home, he wants to be all up in my space 24/7.  He wants to be held and loved and pet and held some more.   He wants to walk all over me, snuggle on my pillow and/or sit in my lap.  Basically as long as he has physical contact with me...he is content.  No contact, he cries.  Clearly, it's been rough for me.  We are adjusting.  And by adjusting...I mean I am learning to cuddle.

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I prefer physical barriers with just about everyone and everything.  I will hug someone...when forced or when it is socially inappropriate to not embrace.  For example, I can muster up a hug for a hot date.  Or at least I can...on the second or third date, after a glass of wine.  I will even sorta hug a friend hello-although most of the time, it is a half hug.   It takes me a long time to get comfortable just being comfortable with someone.  And the comfort includes emotional and physical closeness.  It's just a thing I have about me.  And as time has past...it's less of a thing and more of a problem.  So it's something I am working on because I think God created us to be people full of emotion and comforted by touch.  As people hurt us and leave scars, we build up resistance to things that should come naturally.  My resistance to both of these things, emotion and touch, stems from some serious pain in my past.  But I can't let the past prevent me from experiencing the present, both in the emotional and physical sense.  Sometimes you have to let go of all the things from the past, in order to open your arms and hug the future.

Revelation 21:4-5a
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  All these things are gone forever.  And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!"

So I think this cute, cuddly kitten...is warming me up for a future of feeling everything new with a bit more emotion and maybe even a little cuddling.

And oddly enough...I swear even my dog has been a bit more cuddly since this kitten has burst into our lives.  Life is sure funny sometimes.  He better be a Hunter.

Dogs, cats and cuddling,

Ashley Lucille