My archetype: the giver

On Tuesday, I saw a cat in a tree, stuck high above the branches, all four paws on hydro wires, supporting his weight by leaning against the hydro pole. He was meowing. He attempted to move a couple of times, got spooked by the wires, and stayed where he was.

I called the Fire department (what else do you do?) and they dispatched my call to Ottawa Hydro. While I was waiting for them, I noticed that a sign had been posted by the Humane Society. Since 10:46 am, the cat had been noticed and was being monitored by them, and the note suggested that the cat would come down on its own.

I called the woman from the Humane Society. She said they usually leave cats for at least 24 hours, as the cats, in the dark and when it's quiet, will come down on their own. She said if he was still there in the morning, she'd call Ottawa Hydro. I asked if I could leave some food and water there for him, as a possible lure. She thought that was a good idea.

Wednesday morning, as I drove to work, I saw that the cat was still there. Still in the same position. It had been over 24 hours. The poor guy. I called the Humane Society immediately and left a message for my contact. I had a three hour meeting at work, and when that was done, I walked to see if the cat had been taken down. He was gone and the Hydro crews were trimming trees branches to keep a space between the trees and the hydro poles. All was good!

I reflected on these events a lot walking home last night. Why was I so interested in being involved? Why did I expend so much energy on a cat that wasn't even mine? It's funny because it didn't even matter to me who's cat it was. I could imagine his relief and exhaustion at being down. I could visualize him arriving at home meowing at his family as if to say "You would not believe the day I just had."

I realized that I became involved mostly because I felt compelled to do something. I felt like I couldn't just walk by and disengage. It seemed like such a simple thing to do - help one cat stuck in a tree. Life can be incredibly difficult at times and having the opportunity to do something so simple seemed so natural.

All of these emotions reminded me that I'm a giver. I like to help. I feel good when I am doing something for someone or something. And it made me take stock of the life that I am living these days. I'm not living that part of me. I'm having a lot of fun. I'm connecting regularly with people who give me positive energy and love. I am very content and peaceful. But I think there is energy that I have that I'm not using. I am not volunteering. I only occasionally see my little sister. I've given up Search & Rescue. I guess you could say, I'm hungry to do more.

I just got accepted into the EMBA program which starts in the Fall. I suspect that I will need to wait a little bit longer to have the time (and energy) to be available to volunteer - but it was a good reminder to me that I have this energy to put to good use. It's there for the taking. So why waste it?