Last night I saw a cat looking at the front door. She was waiting to go back out into the heat and humidity that is too much for dogs. Cats are real survivors. I wondered whether the cat imagined the door opened itself and as she sat hopefully watching the door fully expected the door to open by itself. At that moment I opened the door to let her out, and it occurred to me that it didn't matter to her how the door was opened--or even when--just so long as it opened enough for her to run out. I don't know whether she knew if I saw her watching the door I would open it for her from the inside (and was therefore asking me for my assistance and preparing herself for my response), or whether she was waiting for Christie to come home from work and open the door from the outside. But I did open the door, or Christie soon would have, arriving on cat's feet. And the cat did go out, whether she led you to the door or was oblivious to your presence and con...

Give us this Day is the online creative journal of Kurtis Kitagawa, PhD (Edinburgh), MPhil (Oxford), MA (Chicago), BA First Class Honours (Calgary), who, withal, considers himself a student of history. Check daily for freshly composed essays and offbeat creative writing inspired by a life spent in universities, government, and business. Job offers gratefully accepted. Alternative facts welcome, and will not be burned. Nor will their ashes be used as eye shadow!