Santiago Chile, Day 4
All afternoon (and night), a cat was crying on the 7th story balcony above my apartment. Mind you, it was 95 Degrees (35 Celsius) yesterday, and the poor creature had no food or water. I knew it wouldn’t survive another day so I ventured down to the front desk and spoke with Paola, the helpful front desk attendant. Soon, we found ourselves out front staring up at this “Gatito” leaning over the side of the balcony, pleading for help.
Paola sprang into action and discovered the owners left for vacation and simply put the kitten outside. In our broken communication, she asked, “How could someone be so cruel?” and informed me the Policía had arrived, filed a report, and found a kind neighbor with a key to take the kitten (they were prepared to break open the door and call the fire department)! I told her in America we have a simple word for people like that, “Assholes!”...we shared a cross-cultural laugh at the positive resolution. Later that day, in chatting with my roommate Liam, I told him it was a “Good Day.” He responded with, “Yes, because you accomplished something.” That reminded me that with this new lifestyle of full-time travel, I still need to accomplish “something” during the day.
Some may say on the grand scale of life, saving a kitten is small, but it mattered because I saw a need and took action. As Peter Marshall said, “Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” How many opportunities do we miss because we are too busy to notice; may we always raise our awareness to take action, learn lessons, and save a Gatito!
