From Survival to Joy: The Quiet Miracle of Feeling Safe

A Brush With Danger: The Morning Everything Changed

It started with a bark.

Not a dog bark—the kind you expect on any given morning with two dogs in the house—but that sharp, raspy bark that belongs to something wild.

The fox.

We’ve been seeing more of them lately—especially now that the kits are older and hunting on their own. They roam the neighborhood, opportunistic and hungry, and if you’re small or slow or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time… they’ll corner you.

Which is exactly what happened to Bart.

That morning, he’d gone out after breakfast like usual. Nothing dramatic. Just a casual wander—his usual patrol. But then I heard it. The bark. The tension. I followed the sound and found him:

Bart, in a culvert at the end of a driveway, backed into a corner by a full-grown fox.

He didn’t yowl. He didn’t run. He was in full calculation mode.

I called to him.

He looked at me—paused for a second—and then made his move.

The way he runs is like a sideways gust of wind: fast, off-center, but incredibly powerful for a cat with only three legs. He bolted toward the house.

The fox circled around, trying to intercept. But I stepped in.
It backed off.

Bart made it to the porch. Safe. Shaky. Silent.

And something changed after that.

He stopped wandering so far.
He stayed closer to the house.

He let himself be pet longer, lingered near us instead of always sitting just out of reach.

And this morning?
He played.

Full-on, eyes-big, tail-flipping play.

Batting leaves under the bush like they were dangerous prey. Rolling. Tossing. Darting.

Playing.

I’ve never seen him do that.

Not since he showed up. Not since he chose this porch.

He’s been many things—aloof, scrappy, calculating, exhausted.

But not playful. Not relaxed.
Until now.

And it’s not just Bart who’s changed.

Sissy’s Spark: From Cautious to Confident

Sissy—once so cautious, reserved, and sick when she first arrived—is blossoming too.

She does full somersaults when she plays now. It’s almost theatrical, like she’s making up for lost time. She still keeps some of that classic cat aloofness (and she definitely has rules about how many pets is too many), but you can tell: she feels safe now.

She owns her chair, her bush, her morning routine.

And in her own sweet, sometimes spicy way… she’s letting herself enjoy it.

What Happens When the Guard Comes Down?

I can’t help but think of how much this mirrors our own journey.

How so many of us live like Bart and Sissy did at first:

• Always on edge

• Always scanning

• Friendly, maybe—but only on our terms

• Guarded, even when help is right there on the porch

But something happens when you realize you're no longer alone.

When someone shows up and helps you out of the culvert.

When you're protected instead of ignored.

Fed instead of overlooked.

You stop surviving… and start softening.

And when that happens—when the nervous system exhales—the most beautiful thing shows up:

Joy.

Real joy.

Not the forced kind.

Not the “be grateful anyway” kind.

The kind that comes when your inner child finally feels safe enough to play.

If you’ve been living in that state of constant watchfulness—always holding it all together, always on alert—I want you to remember something:

Play isn’t childish.
It’s sacred.

And it doesn’t come from having more time or doing more work.
It comes from safety.

And safety comes from being seen, supported, and loved—sometimes by others, sometimes by ourselves.

This morning, Bart reminded me of that.

And Sissy too, twirling through the grass like no one’s watching.

If something in this story stirred something in you—and you're starting to wonder what might be possible if you stopped surviving and started softening...

you’re invited to explore a path that blends inner child reparenting, quantum revision, and energetic transformation.

If this resonates with your journey—and you’re curious about how inner child reparenting, revision, and quantum principles can unlock new momentum in both your life and coaching practice...

You can learn more about the path I guide others through here:

👉 Learn more about The Inner Child Revolution

More porch stories coming soon

Until then, may you feel safe.

May you feel fed.

And may you find moments where the inner child in you gets to play again.