The 'Magic' Words My Beloved Cat Gave Me: How 20 Years with a Stray Cat Led Me to the TEDx Stage, Episode 9

The TEDx Stage I Grabbed by Saying 'Fire Me If You Want!':
The Miracles an Animal Communicator Believes In

About a year had passed since I welcomed Emma into my life.

While waiting for the train on the station platform,
I cast my eyes down at the news on my smartphone.

'Risk of blindness starting in your 40s'

'Cancer that doesn't show up in health checkups'...

Even though I didn't have those symptoms myself, anxiety about a future I hadn't yet seen spread through my chest like a black fog.

After several months of being nearly swallowed by such vague anxiety, I arrived at a conclusion.

'Birds of a feather flock together.'

If world-class business people or athletes were to get sick or injured, they would receive high-level treatment
in the best possible environment.

That is because they possess the energy appropriate for 'that place'.

'In that case, I should just go to that higher level myself.'

There was no evidence for it, but I felt it intuitively.

What I started were three small habits.

1. Wishing for the happiness of strangers
(Cheering on students heading to exams or athletes before a match in my heart)

2. Feeling small joys deeply
(The fluffy sensation of dogs and cats, enjoying some alone time with my favorite bath salts.)

3. Saying 'thank you' to people I struggle with
(Thanking them for being a cautionary tale and helping me broaden my perspective)

The third one was particularly difficult.

At that time, I used to get irritated every time I was pushed around by a friend who was loose with time.

However,

I tried chanting in my heart,

'Thanks to you, I understand how it feels to be the one waiting.

Thank you for teaching me the fear of losing trust.'

Then, a few months later, strange things began to happen.

The express train I should have missed by a hair would somehow arrive at the platform late, or the elevator would open at the perfect moment.

In my relationships, too, people I didn't click with naturally drifted away, and new encounters began to come my way.

And the icing on the cake was the 'Border Collie' I had always admired.

They are highly intelligent and active enough to herd sheep.

Even though I had given up, thinking it was impossible in our environment, one night, my mother said abruptly,

"We're going to adopt a Border Collie puppy tomorrow."

Even though it was November, I thought it was an April Fool's prank.

But the next day, what jumped into my arms was a fluffy, warm bundle of life.

Her name was Berry.

My dream had come to me.

On the first day Berry became our dog, perhaps surprised by her new environment, she wouldn't stop crying.

I tried giving her treats, playing with her, and holding her.

As I struggled, she suddenly calmed down for some reason while being held by my mother.

"This child is exactly like you were when you were little."

My mother laughed quietly.

"Huh? Was I a dog?"

My mother, who raised me when I was a highly sensitive child

It was a moment when I truly realized how amazing my mother was.
The tide had turned.

One day, an email caught my eye: 'Call for Speakers for the Osaka Expo'.
It was sent by the temp agency I was registered with.

'What if they think 'animal communicator' is a suspicious title and fire me from my temp job?'

For a moment, my old anxiety surfaced. But I immediately brushed it aside.

'So what if I get fired! I'm done standing still, worrying about things that haven't even happened.'

I pressed the application button on impulse.

That was what carried me to a grand stage in front of 2,000 people.

On the day of the event, the moment I stepped through the curtain at the side of the stage, I was so terrified that my memory went blank. But the sense of accomplishment I felt when I finished my talk and stepped off the stage was worth more than anything.

With that momentum, I started running toward my next dream: the TEDx stage.

'To create a world without shelter dogs and cats'

To convey those feelings, I practiced intensely until I could recite the script even right after waking up.

The acceptance notification arrived on a day when I was the only one asked to work overtime at my temporary job.

At the bus stop, all alone.

Seeing the acceptance on my smartphone screen, I couldn't stop the tears.

No matter how old you are, if you run with all your might, dreams can come true.

Finally, my dream is within reach!!!

That is what I thought.

<<Episode 10>>