I can hit you with all my cheesy puns just to make this a cat-astrophic post, but that would be paw-sitively awful and nobody’d want to read it. Also, it’s not like I wasn’t feline OK, after I met him I was feeling pawsome. At least I didn’t have to try and purr-suade him to take a picture with me because he didn’t give me any cat-itude. OK, Now that it’s out of my system, we can continue on with the post.

 

 

 

 

I was at work and I’d gotten some upsetting news so I went for a walk to clear my head and I was just kind of asking the universe for some clarity and a sign. Even though Annie told us that the sun will come out tomorrow, sometimes you just need a reminder that it will. Ask and you shall receive, because the universe heard me calling and sent me Cat Stevens!

 

 

I know that this will sound ridiculous and unbelievable, but I was walking down the street, listening to my Iphone songs on shuffle and randomly Father and Son came on. Always a favorite, I was listening to it when all of a sudden – I turned and saw Cat Stevens standing there. He appeared like a mirage right there while I was listening to his song! Thank God I also have cat-like reflexes similar to Mr. Stevens, because I stopped, dropped, and ran right into the building to see him. It was as if the universe tapped me on the shoulder and said “you wanted a sign…”

 

 

 

His two security guards saw my special kind of crazy coming up and were like “Whoa, he’s gotta go” but by now I was right next to him rambling on incoherently as I tend to do. “I was just listening to you…just now…father and son…on my phone…just now…” and then held out my phone to him as if looking at a black Iphone was in some way offering him any clarity for my rambling…In hindsight, this is probably why famous people stop and take pictures with me – they think something is really wrong with me and they feel bad!

 

 

 

Cat Stevens smiled back with compassion, true grace, and a look of confusion almost as if he were watching a foreign film and waiting for the subtitles to scroll across the bottom of his screen. I just finally blurted out “Sir, can I please take a picture with you?” and he smiled and gracefully acquiesced. It was like it was happening in slow motion and I just couldn’t believe it. “Thank you, thank you…” was all I could muster as I was so excited and really couldn’t believe I was actually seeing him in person because I’m a huge fan. I was smiling and not saying a word so as not to ruin this picture with my messed up facial expressions, when he reached out, shook my hand and said I was welcome with a huge smile. I’m not saying that I made his day or anything, but I’m pretty sure I came close and he definitely made my week. I asked for a sign and the universe sent me Cat Stevens! If that’s not believing that all power can’t be seen, I don’t know what is. One look at this icon’s big smile and the happy sunflower on his shirt and I could hear him singing: Take your time, think a lot – think of everything you’ve got and it just made me smile.

 

 

 

 

I know this sounds weird, but as I was shaking his hand and staring incoherently at this legend’s hypnotic white Papa Smurf beard, only one thought was in my head: would he think it’s as ironic and funny as I do if I told him how my sister once shit on a cat? I’m sure he gets those cat jokes and stories all the time and yes, she really shit on a cat! (LINK HERE TO CAT SHIT STORY) Actually, thank God my sister wasn’t with me when I saw him – she’d have been just as excited as I was, but I wouldn’t have been able to help myself from saying “Carlotta, please don’t shit on this cat too! Be careful Mr. Stevens – she has a bad habit of shitting on cats!” I feel bad saying that out loud because he’s such a zen little peanut that I really like, but it’s all I could think of. OK, maybe there is something wrong with me after all. I share this story with you not to humble brag and say that I met Cat Stevens and you didn’t (although technically, I did and you didn’t!) it’s to serve as a cautionary tale for my sister because you really can’t just go around shitting on cats anymore. I mean she didn’t shit on Cat Stevens; she shit on an actual, meow meow kitty cat – and ironically enough, the cat was named Pretty. My sister is going to read this and say “come on – it only happened one time” as if that makes it OK, but I just want the record to show that I warned him. He did sing “Oh Baby, It’s a wild world” but I don’t think that’s exactly what he meant…