Life Lessons From My Cat, Mr. T | Garrett Gray | TEDxTinleyParkLibrary

[Music] have you ever noticed on your best days we have your best relationships with people and on your worst days with your worst relationships and sometimes it seems like the news only focuses on the bad if you had ever turned onto five o'clock news a negative story after negative story you get defeated and mind/body do you see only the differences in our world today and think it's impossible I used to get this heart by this dog-eat-dog world of ours until one night a cat came into my life it all began on a Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. October 24th 2004 it was cold dark and rainy inside my warm house I was escorting my girlfriend to the front door like the gentleman that I am when all of a sudden we heard cries yeah yeah I peeked out the window there smack dab the middle of my front door was a cat he had gray fur and black tiger stripes I opened the door the cat scan for about 15 feet away I having cats my whole life I can see myself a cat whisperer so I worked my magic and went a little something like this here kitty-kitty-kitty the cat came I scooped him up and brought him inside the warm warm house that night I posted can't found flyers all around town nobody claimed him so I kept him now the cat who was about 2 years old had nice big eyes all of his claws I called them mr. teeth no not the mr. team who says I pity the fool the T stood for Tiger because of his black tiger stripes I don't know why mr. t came to my door that night what he came to me when I called him in my tent whispering is that good made that poor kitty on that night the unknown was better than the north that poor cat you look hungry lost and scared and sometimes in life there's no choice but to take a leap of faith that becomes a special moment when opportunity for trust can begin now I know you may not be a cat person mr. team was different even my aunt I can't friends late mr. t they said he was like a dog and mr. t always came when I called him it was a nice boy that was mr. t and me for a while I had many nicknames warm tea cheese oh son I loved spending time with the little guy I hold them I pet him keep her I'd play with him and his cat toys and every morning he'd wake me up on time like a furry alarm clock with four legs in the tail when we're pals a year later I adopted two new cats punky and Susie that my mom had rescued my girlfriend Mandy became my wife and she brought her cat butterscotch on board our house was full mr. t loves spending time with his new cat friends sleep together play together and their favorite activity looking out the window together the one they were playing with each other nice and wrapping around the house my wife Mandy would gosh here at the cats they're like happy little spirits zooming around a house mr. t was the spirit of loyalty every day I came home he was there at the door I'd open that front door it is oh hey mr. t hey son night pedal I missed your furry face and he dope yeah as if to say I missed your furry face - he was there every day he was different but one day I was in the kitchen talking to my wife Mandy and I said Mandy you know how mr. T is always at the front door to greet you when you come home and she's a Guerin mr. t is never at that front door to greet me he only does that for you I thought wow that little cat he was that mindful he did that just for me mr. team was different one night I was in my bathtub sorry to put that image into your head I was in the tub mr. t jumped up on the bad ledge no biggie Oh dad climbed down onto my arm began to climb down on me I got really still I thought there is no way this is gonna end well for either of us he is always Klaus and soon he piped his furry little body onto my wet chest I couldn't believe it I didn't think it was possible so I called out to my wife Mandy carefully Mandy when she came in she couldn't believe her eyes well mr. teen did this quite often so often that my wife Mandy would often complain Garrett I don't know who cogs that tub drain worse you or the cat it was me but a cat that will climb onto you when you're in the tub surrounded by all that water said he trusted and he had all his claws so we'll entrusted him to the years rolled by in the fall of 2014 mr. t turned 12 one night my wife noticed that mr. T was his husky body was looking slimmer so next morning she drove her drove him to the vet it was diabetes so we put mr. t on a cat food diet special cat food and got him some insulin and he was doing good then seven months later one day in April 2015 he wasn't himself was anything he wasn't drinking well I had to go in that morning I worked for my father he never lets me take time off we have daily deadlines so Mandy she took mr. Tina the vet dropped him off before school that morning at work I got a call mr. gray mr. t is not doing well he's severely dehydrated you suspect it's his kids don't think a little past when I got off the phone my father was passing by and he asked in this gruff voice house you're kidding I said dad since he won't live past then I work first no-nonsense taskmaster of a father says something to me that I'll never forget you can go say goodbye I left when I got to that vets I saw mr. t the cage tubes you look bad I went up to engage I opened the door jeez all mr. t he said okay you after a long and tearful goodbye had to get back to work and I waited sooo Newton became one and one became too two became three that's four I got the call mr. gray mr. t is fine he's made a turn around he's drinking he's eating his kidneys are fine we'd like to keep him for a couple nights for observation I hung up the phone I called my wife Mandy to tell her the news and she said dear it is a miracle I said yeah can you believe my dad let me out of work that was the first miracle the second was my pal mr. t was old you know I'm I visit that little kitty at the vet every night after work until he came home that Thursday mr. t was back home that Thursday it was different you would weak and frail I held the pen and I laid with him a couple for a couple hours but I had to get back to work had those deadlines so past 1:00 a.m. I came home I opened that door I turned on the light I saw mr. team Happy Easter cheer homeless wife was head up eyes stirring out into space he was there it wasn't Mandy and I rushed him to the emergency vet it was too late I pale loyal friend mr. t died and they lobby I'm there Friday to him you've ever lost a pen friend you care about that you treat like them configure health pieces you Durr and a half after mr. T's mind pretty little body along God the experience still remains a heart I'll always celebrate the life of mr. t because he was different I mean how many cats do you know that are loyal like a dog they're like taking baths with people narrow the star of a TEDTalk celebrate the differences I know mr. team was just again but if a human being could have that type of connection with something so different as another species I asked you what's possible what's possible with how we connect with each other our fellow human beings with how we relate to each other that's how we treat each other especially those who are different turn off that 5 o'clock news turn on your heart I'm not asking you to adopt the camp or a person I am urging you to adopt the cool cat persona of my pal mr. team that's c18 cat the C stands for contact my contact I mean being physically present and available having regular contact with those in your life mr. t the cat was always around he was near me he was with me he was on me even at the top be physically present and one's life being close at hand can never be overstated because when you're in the presence of another person you're sharing the most precious commodity of them all your time a stands for attitude it's not enough to be physically present but to have a mindful attitude as well if you're constantly around those people who are totally distracted by their smartphone you know what I'm talking mr. t the cat would stop whatever he was doing even looking out the window I can't equivalent of the smartphone just to greet me at that door every day that was cats me for ho ho I missed you I care about you sometimes we take every day for granted before he died everyday I came through that door he would never miss me now that he's gone every day I come through that door I always miss him take a moment it disengaged from the distractions in your life finally engage others and do the little things that tell them you care the T stands for trust it's easy to say hard to do Trust is risky business it's no guarantees there was no guarantee when mr. t climbed on to me in that tub he wouldn't get submerged in all that water and there was no guarantee his clause when an eviscerate my deerskin what he did trust someone fully give up a little power trust comes an opportunity for something even more powerful Buechel trust there's cooperation and collaboration my competition c18 spend some quality can't time with those in your life I don't know why mr. t came to my door that night I'm just glad he did my wife Mandy wants wise we observed no deer it outside of string there are two things that always attract a cat a closed door in an open door and she's right it never fails call it the law of attraction call it animal attraction call it life because will come to your door whether you're open to receive it leave your biases at the door and adopt a cool cat persona of my pal the late great mr. team I'm making contact by having a mindful attitude by trusting others like mr. T you may be different but make no mistake about it the biggest difference it's the one you can make it each other's lives in my body spirit it all begins by opening the door to your heart spend a quality better relationships we need better days I know you may not be a cat person heck you may not be a people person that's no excuse to let our world go to the dogs [Applause] you [Applause] you

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 5,696

Rating: 4.9444447 out of 5

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, United States, Life, Animals, Communication, Connection, Empathy, Friendship, Personal growth

Id: DmNs6AyLONk

Length: 18min 20sec (1100 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 09 2016