Sadness and a Reflection
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (99766)
United States
March 14, 2023 3:53pm CST
As I tell the story of Cal, our warehouse cat, which of course mentioned the death of Butch, the kitten that found its way into our warehouse before Cal became the warehouse cat, a thought occurred to me that is so true of so many things in our lives.
Sometimes from the bad, there is good.
It's a hard thing to consider sometimes. But we can think of many things that happened in our lives that at the time seemed like not such a good thing, that turned out to be better things.
I think back to my decision to get out of the navy sometimes. I have often thought how nice it would have been to complete my 20 and get a pension. But then, I'd have never met my wife. My life would be completely different today, and I happen to like my life just the way it is.
Butch could have lived. But unfortunately, it was simply not in the cards for him. But had he made it, Cal never would have happened. And likely, neither would our Grayson have happened, because my wife and I got Grayson from the same farm where Cal came from.
Butch at least made a contribution for a future for Cal and Grayson that maybe they also would not have enjoyed, and their lives would be completely different as well.
It's just funny sometimes how things work out. It is also a reminder to always try to see the silver lining in every dark cloud.
Image is of Cal and Grayson in a box.
24 people like this
27 responses
@kaylachan (77505)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
14 Mar 23
They are so cute. Poor Butch, but he's with the other animals over rainbow bridge.
6 people like this
@kaylachan (77505)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
15 Mar 23
@porwest I don't know the whole story (I'm sure you posted about it somewhere), but yeah. It is sad you lost him.
5 people like this
@porwest (99766)
• United States
15 Mar 23
@kaylachan Parts 1, 2 and 3 were posted just before this post was posted. But Butch is of course only 1 part of the story about how we got Cal as our warehouse cat.
3 people like this
@RasmaSandra (84795)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
14 Mar 23
They are just absolutely adorable cats.
5 people like this
@popciclecold (39943)
• United States
14 Mar 23
They are very beautiful cars. You are right to see the silver in the darkness. Thanks for sharing their photo of the cats.
4 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (109525)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
14 Mar 23
I have heard of the saying that when a bad event happens, there is a good event comes around the same and next day.
4 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (109525)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
16 Mar 23
@porwest That is very true that the good part of the dark experience usually comes later.
3 people like this
@porwest (99766)
• United States
22 Oct 23
@Deepizzaguy Out of bad, sometimes comes good. Ironic, isn't it?
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (43524)
• United States
15 Mar 23
Very deep thoughts, but very true. I look back and see so many blessings that came from heartache at the time. When our daughter got pregnant at seventeen, we thought her future would never be what we hoped for her.
But she gave us a granddaughter who is the love of our lives. Tammy graduated from high school , then college, and had a very successful career. Kristin is a college graduate, real estate agent, and recently married a corporate attorney.
So, as you say, you just never know.
3 people like this
@1creekgirl (43524)
• United States
22 Oct 23
@porwest It's good to see our blessings from a long perspective. Maybe like you said, if not for Butch, that sweet Cal and Grayson might not have been blessed to have you all.
1 person likes this
@porwest (99766)
• United States
22 Oct 23
@1creekgirl The wife and I swore after Sneaky and Theus, that was it. And now we have Grayson and Cal. And of course you know I left my job on July 18th, and Cal came home with me on Wednesdays and weekends. He is now ours. It was my "parting gift," if you want to call it that.
I remember I had Cal the week of my resignation and had a conversation with my boss the Thursday before the weekend and told him, "I will bring Cal back on Monday," and he told me, "He's pretty much your cat anyway. Why don't you just keep him."
It was one argument I did not need to have. And thus, Cal is now part of our family for good.
1 person likes this
@porwest (99766)
• United States
22 Oct 23
My niece presented a similar situation. She was in a terribly abusive relationship, but now we have Geno. He's four now I think, and luckily she's out of that situation even if the turd she was with still makes an appearance from time to time.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (124240)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Mar 23
You couldn’t have summed up life any better. Well done my friend.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (124240)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Mar 23
@porwest Or, as I get fatter…outward!
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (46229)
• Staten Island, New York
15 Mar 23
Where did you meet your wife? Such cute cats. Which is which?
3 people like this
@lovebuglena (46229)
• Staten Island, New York
15 Mar 23
@porwest Unless it's just me but Cal seems tough and like she means business while Grayson seems rather shy and a little scared.
3 people like this
@lovebuglena (46229)
• Staten Island, New York
15 Mar 23
@porwest I will be looking forward to that post of how you met your wife.
3 people like this
@thislittlepennyearns (64129)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
15 Mar 23
They are so cute!
Does he keep the rodent population in the warehouse down to a mininum.
3 people like this
@thislittlepennyearns (64129)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
15 Mar 23
@porwest thats a biggun'. the mouse not the cat. or maybe the cat is big too
2 people like this
@porwest (99766)
• United States
15 Mar 23
Actually he does. lol. He's always got a mouse or a frog or something else. Here's a little video of him teasing a mouse before he made a meal out of him. lol
https://www.tiktok.com/@jbauer601/video/7120222923918462250?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7043758450993006085
https://www.tiktok.com/@jbauer601/video/7120222923918462250?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7043758450993006085
2 people like this
@Treborika (17895)
• Mombasa, Kenya
15 Mar 23
Cats of this generation no longer eats rodents. They normally wait to be prepared food by you
2 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (94525)
• Arvada, Colorado
15 Mar 23
Poor Butch RIP
I know what you mean about life Jim..I guess what is meant to be will be.
3 people like this
@porwest (99766)
• United States
14 Aug
I often do that with a lot of things. Like choosing to get out of the Navy. I'd have never met my wife and my life would probably be very different. It IS kind of interesting to think about what that other path might have looked like had I chosen it other than the one I ultimately did.
@LindaOHio (188285)
• United States
12 Apr 23
Cute pictures. If I would have joined the Navy, I probably would never have dated my husband.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (188285)
• United States
18 Apr 23
@porwest Would you change anything?
1 person likes this
@porwest (99766)
• United States
24 Apr 23
@LindaOHio Nope. Not really. Who knows what path would have actually been a better path with a better outcome? Or a worst one.
I knew a guy who was ready for a major change in his life. He moved to another state and was killed a few years later in a car crash there. One wonders if he'd have crashed somewhere else anyway. But had he not made that decision, on the day he crashed, he would not have been there.
1 person likes this
@porwest (99766)
• United States
18 Apr 23
As many have said, life is full of twists and turns and there are many options for the roads we choose to drive on, all of them having their own destinations. Even when I got OUT of the Navy, I almost decided to stay in Virgina for a bit—I was thinking about maybe working for R. J. Reynolds. Instead I went to Milwaukee.
1 person likes this
