Pause
It's Holy Week
I love the way my dog Bugsy furls and flexes his paws, using them with such precision and intentionality. I watch with fascination as those dainty digits grip and manoeuvre things, his shiny black talons clasping and curling around objects of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes my Petit Brabançon reminds me of an owl.
I’ve been dog mad since I was an urchin. My first, a Yorkshire Terrier, was named Trouble. I adore Bugsy, my joy boy, and have loved many dogs—but the one I think about most is my Humphrey (pictured above). His image sits in frames all around me, though I don’t need them to remember him. He’s eternally close.
When he was alive, being in his presence felt sacred, yet there was always an acute awareness that our time was finite. This picture was taken on a beach vacation in Encinitas, in the summer of 2016. He was on my lap and when I raised my phone to take a selfie, he lifted his paws to cover his eyes. Such a quirky character, and so regal. Not your typical dog.
This is not a typical Palm Sunday post, but paws, palms, and psalms seem to go hand in hand. That kind of unity feels necessary, like a holy trinity. But where is religion actually getting us? The Secretary of War (I cannot bring myself to type his name—I dislike him that deeply) espouses violence and fuels destruction—in the name of the Lord?
Millions of people were out in force yesterday at No Kings demonstrations across the world. Thousands of people have died in an escalating war including hundreds of innocent children. It’s horrible and I feel utter despair by what I see, hear and read about every day.
The world of 2026 is a very different place from 2016. Prices are insane. Even pennies have been discontinued in America! I only learned this today in a coffee shop—what does that say about the economy? And now Donald Trump’s name is being printed on dollar bills. One wonders if it will sit near the words: In God We Trust.
Perhaps there should be No Gods protests. I don’t want to get into politics, or religion for that matter but… ugh. I’m sort of dumbfounded, so… best I pause.
As we enter this Holy Week—the countdown towards the holiest day of the year, Easter Sunday—what is sacred now? For me, it’s time, and how it’s spent.
Lately, I feel overwhelmed and have been increasingly offline. Disconnected. Uninspired. Dogs (and cats) are great teachers of presence, so I’ve been focusing on my little companion, on being in the now, going deeper within, and breathing. Simple but essential stuff.
Wishing everyone a peaceful week, whatever your religion or beliefs. Happy Passover to my Jewish friends, and almost Happy Easter to us all. We can’t control what’s happening around us, but we can choose our thoughts—and what to focus on.
Pause. Paws. Peace.
Thanks for reading Kittenesque! If you enjoyed this post, why not become a free or paid subscriber? Or share, leave a comment, click the ❤️ — I’d love to hear from you!
Free subscribers get a new post every other Sunday. Paid subscribers get one every Sunday and full access to the archives. It’s $5 / £3.70 a month or $50 / £37 a year.
Yes to all of this. Thank you Petra. It’s so hard to focus and I’ve been finding it harder to write, but I’m determined to keep showing up. Take care.
Thank you, Petra, for what reads as a homily, tightly written, tightly observed. If I may add another p-word to your stack: poignant as we seem on the verge of launching a Holy Week invasion of Iran that will surely cause many deaths, dismemberments, injuries, and anguish, not to mention economic warfare and catastrophe.
Your essays are crafted and thought-out so much more than “the Persian excursion.”
I wish you had less material to sculpt.