The dog does this too sometimes. I don't know why it is so adorable. It adds to the adorableness of a) animals sleeping and b) animals sleeping curled up together.
It's the vulnerability, that's it. And the evidence of trust. The animal can afford to switch off. He is safe enough to have no look-out.
And when you know how unsafe animals are, how they are so entirely granted life - a pain-free, comfortable life - at our whim, the evidence of such utter trust is humbling.
That the world (which, for my cats, is simply my house) can be such a fear-free place is somehow incredibly beautiful. That the world can appear warm and comforting and without any conceivable threat. Imagine that.
In one of the meditation exercises on the Waking Up app, Sam Harris (inspired by Loch Kelly) says something like: 'What would it be like to have no problems to solve? What if there is nothing you need to worry about? What if everything is fine, just as it is?'
I always find this illuminating. On one level because, wow, what WOULD that be like?? And on another level because in the very moment, in that one very moment, as you meditate, there is nothing to worry about. In that moment, everything is fine. I mean, you're sitting, you're breathing, you're just required to be conscious. That's all that's needed. Whatever you are conscious of - and it could even be pain or the nagging sense of anxiety - it's your job, then, just to be aware of it, not to do anything about it or fix it. And, so long as it's bearable, which, let's face it, pretty much everything is for a moment, then in that moment, everything is fine.
For the cats, clearly, they can string a lot of moments together. Hours, in fact. They are the meditation masters.
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