We had a cousin who was a veterinarian. In talking to him about his work, he used to say that on the days that he performed surgery he used to "warm up" with spaying a few cats. He felt that the spaying procedure wasn't that complicated so that his fingers could return to the muscle memory of delicate surgery. Once done, he was ready to tackle more difficult procedures.

When my husband and I have difficulty getting back into work or having difficulty focusing on a task we say we need to do a little cat spaying. Start with something that is relatively easy in order to ease into the work.

These weeks following my mom's death have been tough for me to get back into my writing mindset. Partly because my schedule is greatly disrupted and partly because I am still grieving. I know that I need to be kind to myself and give myself a break, yet I find myself wandering aimless around the house or sitting at my desk staring at a blank page.

I have to remind myself to do some cat spaying. I am trying to accomplish some small, easy but necessary tasks in order to get me primed to work on some larger ones. So far this morning I have gone through and organized my electronic files and put on my calendar some deadlines for submissions. Still not at all what I need to do nor what I usually do in a work day but it is something nonetheless.

What about you? What do you do when you have trouble focusing? Do you have any sayings that get you back on track? If you are feeling aimless, what "cat spaying" can you do?

Last week my sister shared with me a video about the "Oldest Hip Hop Dance Troupe in the world". They are called the Hip Op-eration Crew. Visit their website. Their story and the story of Billie Jordan their "dance instructor" is inspirational. Click here to hear BIllie's Ted Talk

What I love about the story is that Billie reached beyond herself, her pain, and her loneliness to help others, the aged in her community, who were also feeling lonely, without purpose, and without hope for a future. Billie believed in these marginalized elderly people and provided an expectation that was missing in their lives. As she says they no longer talk about the past but rather make plans for the future. She has given back to them their dignity and their humanity. They in turn have given those things back to her.

The thing is, not only has the common purpose of the troupe been good for their emotional and mental state it is also providing them with physical benefits. Sure there are healthy issues. The ages range from upper sixties to upper nineties with the average age being eighty. But Billie works with what she has and encourages the troupe to keep striving and doing. As of 2015, after two years from starting the troupe, she hadn't lost any to death and the consensus from their physicians was that they are all in better shape.

As they say under their website's beliefs statement, "Even though their age can limit their dancing capabilities, they are all inspired by the founders of hip hop from the Bronx who believed it’s not about limitations, it’s about possibilities. Regardless of their age and physical ability, they are not letting those limitations get in the way of learning hip hop."

Certainly their story is a great reminder that we are never too old to learn and grow. We are never too old to find purpose and meaning in our lives. We are never to old to strive for healing and wholeness in body, mind and spirit. We are never to old to encourage and inspire others. We are never too old for possibilities.

Click here to see The Crew perform Watch it and be inspired. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Cat Spaying

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