Life lessons from an unthankful cat

This is not exactly a post about my cat, but it was inspired by my cat. 

My cat is the embodiment of unthankfulness, so for Thanksgiving I decided to see what I can learn from her bad behavior.

Her ungrateful streak runs deep, far beyond never saying "thank you." For instance: 

• She flips out if anything goes wrong. Just last night she accidentally got locked in my bedroom, so she destroyed some of my medical papers. 

• She doesn't appreciate us keeping her safe inside. She tries to go outside every times the door opens. We are trying to protect her from dogs, cats,  skunks, raccoons, cars, bad weather, and cat haters... But she still wants out. 

• She’s picky. She does nothing for anyone, yet she expects us to cater to her every whim. She wants her food, water, and litter all handled a certain way. 

• She doesn’t do anything that doesn’t benefit her. Her world revolves around herself. She cuddles if she's cold, but otherwise her attention is sparse, unless you have food. 

• Did I mention she's greedy about food? She's never satisfied. She always expects more. 

• She can’t recognize good intentions. She bites and scratches, even if you were trying to offer a simple, loving pat on the head. 

So in the reverse:

• I want to stay calm when things don't go my way. When life hands me waiting time, I should use it constructively. 

• I want to appreciate boundaries in life that protect me from dangers I don't understand. 

• I want to recognize all the kind gestures people make towards me, without being demanding or feeling entitled to their generosity. 

• I want my world to be the people around me, and not just me. I want to pay attention to people regardless of what they can do for me. 

• I want to be content with what I have, not pursuing more when I already have enough. I want to share what I have without holding back. 

• I want to truly appreciate all the blessings God has brought into my life in the form of people. May I never be found attacking someone who was being a friend to me. 

You may wonder why I keep the cat if she's such a monster. I have no better explanation than to say that she's mine and I love her. I wrote this as a list of goals for myself because sometimes, like her, I can get unsettled when life isn't right by my standards. God, being loving, doesn't beat me down over it. In the same way I can see redeeming qualities in my silly cat, He must see redeemable qualities in me. I am His, and regardless of all I need to work on, He loves me anyway. I am thankful beyond words for that. 

Happy Thanksgiving!