The People's Choice

My uncle has Parkinson's Disease and with each passing day, his world gets smaller and more isolated. To make him feel a little more connected and to give him something new to think about, I'm sending him a variety of DVDs recommended by my friends.

The way I worded it was: You're channel surfing and you come upon a movie. You have seen it dozens of times. You may even own it. You have been known to recite the dialog. Yet you keep watching. You can't NOT watch. What movie is it?

A diverse and motley crew (aged 19 to 61, black and white and hispanic, gay and straight, Protestant and Catholic and Jewish and agnostic, married and engaged and single), they delivered quite a selection of titles. From Holiday Inn and The Little Foxes to The Sound of Music to Swingers.

What surprised me about their selections was how well represented Redford is, as both actor (The Way We Were) and director (A River Runs Through It). Only one movie was recommended by more than one person -- Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. So if you're looking for a movie to rent this weekend, my friends recommend a certain pair of doomed, blue-eyed anti-heroes.

Lesson learned

I can be rather self critical at times, but here's one of my good qualities: I have nearly infinite patience with kids and pets. It's not so much that I have a way with them. I am not exceptionally good at quieting crying babies and I'm not a "dog whisperer" or anything. I just don't get upset and don't give up. I have been blessed with empathy for things smaller than I am. And it's a good thing for Reynaldo.

We've been together just over two years now. He will be three years old in April. He is no longer a kitten. But he is a madman.

The shelter told me he was a stray. Yeah, right. His previous owner obviously opened the backdoor and showed Rey the bottom of his boot. He is an exhausting, infuriating creature. He seldom sleeps and finds genuine joy in destruction. This morning was typical. While I was showering, he knocked over 5 framed photos and ripped down the living room drapes, rod and all.

Rey is impervious to discipline. In his world, any attention is good attention. "Oh good, we're playing the game where she yells at me!" "Yea! It's time for the game when she chases me!" "My favorite! The game where she squirts me with water!"

He has his good qualities, too. His appetite for chaos is only matched my his gentleness. The toddler next door can pull his ears and yank his tail, and Reynaldo responds to this rough play with affection. When my nervous girlcat Charlotte gets upset, he gently grooms her ears. He's best friend to my big old tomcat Joey. And, oh, how he loves me.

I have always realized that you don't own a cat, you share your home with it. God deposited Rey into my life to remind me of that natural fact. And to help me remember that ancient Roman truism, "Patience is the greatest of all virtues."