02.28.2002 - 5:40 p.m.

I was feeling pretty lonely yesterday afternoon, because I knew I would have to go home to do laundry and housework instead of hanging out, and I knew the roommate would be at her class for most of the evening. But with the help of my cat, I managed to have a pretty good night.

I read somewhere that owning a cat, or almost any semi-affectionate, non-psycho pet, is supposed to be healthy. It lowers your blood pressure, your stress level, that sort of thing. I think it�s true; I�ve been in a much better state of mind since we got Hazel in December. But I�m not convinced that the pet itself does that. Case in point: Hazel rediscovered the joys of unrolling toilet paper last night, right after I had cleaned the bathroom. Yesterday morning, unaware that I had removed the cover for feeding time, she launched herself into the fishtank. Two nights ago it was the poor plant� No, it�s not the pet, or at least not in my case.

My theory? Having a cat around reduces stress because it gives me the perfect excuse to talk to myself.

I don�t think we, as individuals or as a society, really appreciate the power of a good monologue. We have all those snide little comments when we discover someone �thinking out loud,� and we sometimes go to great lengths to hide our own tendencies in that direction. The lion�s share of self-talking is done under your breath.

The problem is our sense of audience. We refrain from a lot of beautifully spontaneous things because other people are around. We hold so much in, so instinctively, that it doesn�t even occur to us to let it out once we�re alone unless we have a cat to talk to. Then we go ahead and tell her why we�re feeling lonely, at which point it occurs to us how stupid our reasons are, which lets us feel better. It�s harder to lie to yourself out loud.

All it takes is one belly laugh, for any reason you can come up with, and you�re back in a good mood. And laughs only need reasons in public. Good God, if I could only remember that on a more regular basis�

-stonebridge

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