How do you react when something new enters your environment?

Do you embrace it wholeheartedly, with a smile on your face and a glow in your heart?

Do you ignore it, pretending it’s not really there?

Or do you try to eradicate it by any means necessary, resorting to violence if needed?

My guru, Lucy the cat, regularly demonstrated all three of these approaches.

Tuna was greeted with an enthusiastic welcome. Expensive cat toys were met with indifference. And evil fountains were approached with thoughts of violence.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Several years ago when the Guru was still on this plane, Melissa and I had our house feng-shui’d. Our Feng Shui consultant, Betty Perkins, told us that having running water in our back yard would be super good juju for the house.

Luckily, we already had a fountain in the back yard. It just wasn’t working.

So we had our friend and yard guy, Barry Costa, put a new pump in the fountain, and we were off and running.

Groovy vibes all over the place! A lush, running fountain to heal all the ails of our house!

There was just one problem.

We needed to tell the Guru about it.

It was her house, after all. She needed to be immediately informed of any and all updates to her property.

She was napping at the time, and we knew we should probably just leave her alone, but we couldn’t help it.

I tried coaxing her with my finger, but she wasn’t having it.

We needed to bring out the big guns.

The lift.

It went pretty well, considering I only had to carry her a few yards. Next thing we knew, we were in the back yard.

I introduced Lucy to the new fountain.

She responded by showing the fountain her butt.

The fountain is evil. I will have nothing to do with the fountain. I will display my backside to the fountain as a sign of my utter disgust and loathing.

But this didn’t last long.

She was a guru, after all. She couldn’t help but open herself to the glory of creation all around her.

Lucy approached the evil fountain slowly, with an air of caution.

So far, so good. The next step was to smell it.

Although I have declared you evil, you do not smell evil. Indeed, you smell fresh and clean. Perhaps I need to rethink my initial assessment.

The Guru decided to test out her new assessment by placing a single paw on the previously-evil fountain.

The fountain did not bite her. It did not engulf her with its evil ways. Instead, it welcomed her.

The Guru accepted the welcome by climbing up onto the fountain . . . .

. . . and drinking from its cool, delicious waters.

Melissa and I cheered. The Guru liked the fountain! The fountain wasn’t Evil, it was Good!

The Guru celebrated by climbing off the fountain and giving me a kiss.

Once again, the Guru was my inspiration. How many times have I had something new enter my life, only to cringe with fear and suspicion? How many times have I decided the new thing is evil and refuse to change my view?

The Guru did that too, at first. But she quickly changed her mind.

The fountain wasn’t against her. It was for ­­­her. Indeed, it offered cool, clear waters for her to drink.

The Guru reminds me that everything new that enters my life is for me, even if it appears to be evil at first. By making this shift in perception, I open to the good in all things.

With the Guru as my guide, I can drink from the water of new experiences, gaining wisdom and nourishment in the process.

And if all else fails, I can always turn around and show my butt.

When have you feared change? And when have you embraced it? Share your comments below!

Check out these previous Guru posts: The Fumigation, The Escape, and the Pet Psychic. Plus Lucy and her Pink Football! And Lucy gets addicted to kitty crack!

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