I find it very interesting when the mundane mixes with the mind-blowing.
I recently read a blog post by Amber Case, a cyborg anthropologist. She studies how our blackberries and laptops and other electronic devices shape our lives. Her post discussed a cool online tool that showed the types of questions people ask about a subject.
So, for example, if you’re a dentist, you could type in “dentist” and see what kinds of questions people ask about dentists.
I tried Pet Psychics (nothing) and Animal Communication (nothing) and then I tried “Pets”. Halfway down the page, I came across “What do my pets do when I’m at work?”. I thought- This is a great idea for my blog!
I thought I’d talk with a few pets to see what they do all day. From the looks of my pets, it’s a lot of napping with short breaks for walks and cookies and looking out the window.
Bootsy
Then, this morning, my cat and I had a talk.
Bootsy
We’re in full-on rainy season up in the Pacific Northwest. This means that all the cats stay in at night. I was a bit surprised when my cat Boo woke me up at 6 am for some pets and snuggles.
“I just got back,” she said, a little breathless.
“Where were you?” I asked (wondering if I’d left a window open and checking for muddy paws on the duvet).
She showed me a desert plain and birds with gorgeous blue-green iridescent feathers.
“Oh!” I said, “Were you dreaming?”
“I was making a dream.” She turned her head and looked at me. “You know, you don’t just have to have dreams. You can make dreams.”
“I can make dreams?”
“Of course.” She settled into the crook of my arm.
“Were you there?” I asked. “Or were you imagining you were there?”
“I was there, and I was making myself there.”
I thought of all the animals all over the world, and the journeys they take. I am sure that, like the butterfly effect, these dreams impact our reality.
Perhaps when you are at work, your pet is just napping. Or, perhaps they are on safari.
Perhaps we are just napping too.
This was a wonderful read. Thank you for increasing my imagination. I need it during times of massive statistical analysis.
I really enjoyed the post – it brought a huge smile to help me start my day.
And thanks for sharing the link – what a great tool.