Munchkin’s Existential Crisis

A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

MUNCHKIN WAS ONE OF THE SMARTEST cats Cheri had ever known. Not only could he open drawers—a feat which both impressed and frustrated her—but Munchkin also seemed to have an awareness of the laws of physics, or at least how they applied to his favorite ping-pong ball. Munchkin carried the small plastic ball in his mouth everywhere. Several times throughout the day, he would drop his ball and amuse himself by batting it back and forth. Inevitably, however, the ball would roll under the sofa or the coffee table and get stuck, causing Munchkin to elicit a plaintive cry for help.

One day, Munchkin took his prized possession into the bathroom. Curious, Cheri followed him and was flabbergasted when she found her cat patting his ping-pong ball back and forth—in the bathtub. The high sides of the porcelain tub kept his ball safely contained, allowing him to play to his heart’s content.

Months later, Munchkin confirmed his high intelligence when Cheri’s other cat, Meeka, got stuck in a tree. While she and her husband stood debating how to get Meeka down, Munchkin shimmied up an adjacent tree, meowed, and began showing Meeka how to descend the tree, one branch at a time.

“You are one smart cat,” Cheri praised him after both cats were safely on the ground.

And yet much like kryptonite to Superman, Munchkin’s brilliance could not stand up to one powerful foe—the vastness of a high corner in Cheri and Daniel’s apartment.

Having recently moved into a new apartment with limited space, Cheri and Daniel kept a tall stack of boxes—about six feet high—in the corner of the family room. The boxes were out of the way and yet accessible, ready for that day in the future when Cheri was sure she’d find time to go through them.

In the meantime, the different-sized boxes served as a jungle gym for Meeka, who enjoyed climbing them, jumping from them, and hiding things behind them. But for Munchkin, the boxes became a vertical pathway to a feline existential crisis.

Cheri would watch with befuddled amusement as her highly capable cat would excitedly climb to the top of the box tower. However, instead of turning around and perching on the heights to look down upon his kingdom, Munchkin would stare into the corner where the two white walls joined. After several minutes, he would let out a pitiful cry of despair.

The sound was mournful—almost as if he had given up all hope of ever being rescued. Mesmerized, Munchkin would repeat the sorrowful lament while leaning closer and closer toward the stark emptiness of the corner.

“It’s like he has no idea he can just turn around and climb down,” Cheri marveled the first time she witnessed the scene. She walked over to her forlorn cat and gently turned him around to face the room. It was a routine she would repeat countless times over the next several months.

And each time Munchkin would seem startled by his familiar surroundings. His head would shoot up, he would take two steps back, and bump into the corner that, moments before, had rendered him hopeless. He would then meow happily—a meow of victory before descending the box tower, retrieving his ping-pong ball from the floor, and scampering off to play some bathtub ball.

“Oh, Munchkin,” Cheri said with a chuckle. “The trouble you could avoid if you’d keep your eye on the ball and off the wall.”

PAWS & PONDER . . .

Munchkin was smart, but when he faced a certain wall, he would forget where he was and how to move forward. What are some “walls” that tend to get you stuck? How do you get turned around? What are some practical ways you can wisely avoid the distractions of this world?

Paws & Pray

Lord, I admit there have been times I’ve wandered away, become distracted, and forgotten what you’ve taught me. Please help me to focus on you and on your Word so I might avoid becoming stuck or trapped by the foolishness of this world. And when I do veer off course, take my hand and lead me on the right path that will bring me joy.