State of Love and Trust

I was at the adoption center this morning, and spent time with a couple of cats who got me thinking about the concepts of love and trust. Most cats enjoy being petted and lovingly scratched. But there are some who LOVE being petted and return the affection with such fervor and abandon.

As I was petting two cats who LOVE being petted, I was struck by how trusting they were. We had never laid eyes on each other before, yet they were so happy and thankful that I was showing them some affection. They would have let me pet them for hours.

And that made me think of my cat, Olive. She’s been with me for 12 years and she doesn’t trust me. She isn’t capable for whatever reason. I know she loves me. Every night she sidles up to me and purrs away as I fall asleep. She does let me pet her for a few minutes at a time, which she didn’t allow when she was younger. So there has been improvement. My theory is she was either separated from her parents too early or she was abused. I wish I knew what happened to her. [My brother found her in a grocery store parking lot.]

Olive reminds me that you can love people but not trust them. You can love a parent or a sibling or a significant other, but not trust him or her…because of abuse or lying or cheating. I think both people and animals start out as trusting creatures. Some hold on to that trust because they have no reason not to mistrust. Others have their trust shattered in some way and they are never the same.

All of this contemplation brought to mind the great Pearl Jam song “State of Love and Trust.” Which then reminded me of the movie Singles. Which then reminded me that I am old. How can this movie be 20 years old???