I had every intention of having a new post all polished and published for this weekend. However, life does have a tendency to shake things up as it did this week. My husband had to return to sea a week early, which meant that the time I would have devoted to writing was usurped to do all the preparations and projects necessary before his departure. Furthermore, my precocious little man is growing more and more into his curious self who demands constant supervision. Case and point, the day after my husband returned to sea, I got distracted while making dinner and my son raided my make-up bag, pilfering my eyeliner and subsequently leaving his artwork all over our bedroom mirrors and our long-suffering cat, Longshanks (you can learn more about him in the posts Room for One More and Cultivate Cat-like Patience).

That being said, rather than ramrod a rough post together that I’m not pleased with, I have elected to compile a revisitation of several previous blog posts that wax on a common theme. The theme I’ve chosen to focus on is You. 

The last twenty months could very easily have choked out any dream you ever had for your future. Whether it’s the pandemic or the increasingly unstable economy or the myriad other upheavals we’ve witnessed the world over, becoming disheartened and discouraged for the future is something understandable and, unfortunately, rather common. 

That is why I believe a reminder is in order. This comes from a personal place, too. I have to be purposeful in reminding myself of some of these truths I’m sharing with you today. The world has an expert way of leeching out the hope we hold in our hearts. Furthermore, with so much emphasis on the collective, the whole, the ‘we’re all in this together ‘ that we see in any avenue of media, it can make your individual sorrows, griefs, hopes, and dreams seem selfish. But they are not.

Who you are as an individual, the sadnesses you’ve endured, the hopes you hold dear, and the dreams you wish to see accomplished in your life are of the utmost importance. Each person makes up a building block of society. We cannot look at society as a whole and neglect the individual. Any system that has ever tried to do this ultimately leads to wide scale dehumanization and fascist, totalitarian rule. 

You, in the single, dear reader, are indispensable. That means that what you believe about yourself and what you want to see happen in your life are crucial, too. 

Dr. Seuss wrote:

In today’s world, a lot of people are feeling small and inconsequential. The big obstacles we’ve seen unfold before us make the little day to day annoyances and joys that make up our lives feel paltry and irrelevant. 

They are not. You are you, and no matter how small you may feel, you are not cast by the wayside. What you think and hope for and desire is needed. And if you don’t believe me, read Hooray! It’s Dr. Seuss Day! to inject yourself with a good dose of reality about who you are and why you’re critical in this world. 

But it’s just me, you might say. I’m only one person. What can one person do? The world is full of important people who make grand contributions to society and our progress. Next to that, what am I?

That’s a very real place that we’ve all been, including those very important people just mentioned. As luck would have it, I’ve written a blog post- The Power of One- that delves into this topic rather well. Re-reading it recently, it almost makes me laugh because the whole train of thought came to me after binge watching my way through Man of Steal, Wonder Woman, Batman vs. Superman, and The Justice League. None of those movies are my style of film, but an idea had been conceived in me, and I had to follow it through to completion. But that’s exciting to consider, too. No matter where you may look, or how foolish the book, story, movie, show, et. al. may be, you could uncover something that will bolster your spirit and build up your faith in yourself. 

Inside of you is a dream. You may have buried it deep. You may have forgotten it in the mayhem of it all. You may be afraid of it. You may think its impossible. 

But your dream is of vital importance. 

First, it is a vision you have for yourself. It’s something you keep before you to give you hope for your future. 

Second, while it will require courage to chase what might feel like an impossible dream, chase it you must. Why? Because when you pursue that which sets your soul on fire, you become incandescent. Others will see the light of your passion. Seeing it, they too will want to share in it, to kindle their own fire, and pursue their own dreams. You will inspire others. You, yep, that’s who. That’s why you need to Shine On, You Crazy Diamond. 

Most of the struggles I’ve covered today begin in one place: your mind. If you could truly comprehend how potent you mind is, you’d be unstoppable. That’s why I wrote the post Free Your Mind. 

Too often, we put limits on ourselves by controlling our thoughts, and consequently, our beliefs. Furthermore, since we know that the thoughts we think are instrumental in shaping our brains, we must make certain we remove toxic thought patterns that tear down more than they build up. 

Free Your Mind is full of very practical wisdom and encouraging words from men and women throughout history that will put you onto the path of right thinking and right believing about why you are essential.

And, because so much of Whiskers on Kittens does revolve around my love for reading, I think it only appropriate to end with this last post, What Veronica Speedwell Taught Me. 

It is important to give ourselves time to process things. When you’re reading a work of fiction, especially when the book comes from a beloved series, it is important to ask yourself why the series and particular characters mean so much to you. When you ask yourself these questions and then give yourself the time for introspection, the answers you arrive at will teach you about yourself. That is what happened while I was hosting the giveaway for A Dangerous Collaboration, the 4th book in the Veronica Speedwell series. I asked myself why I appreciate Veronica so much. 

What Veronica Speedwell Taught Me is the post that resulted from that quiet time with myself. I include it here because much of what I have garnered from her are things that are fundamental. Much of what I highlight in this post I had already prized, but spending time with Veronica was a good reminder. It is my hope that it will be a good reminder for you, too. (It’s also another example of how such reminders can be found in unexpected places.)

I hope that these posts helped you remember, dear reader, why you are vitally important in the world today. We need you. What you have to offer is something no other person in the world can even hope to offer. So, as you carve out some time to relax either this weekend or throughout the week, remind yourself of that truth.