Bart has a way of slipping into your heart the same way he slips in and out of the yard—quietly, without warning, and with a kind of magnetic pull you can’t quite explain.

When he’s home, it’s pure magic.

He rolls around in the driveway, flops on the welcome mat like he owns the place and positions himself on the walkway like a little sentry, overseeing his kingdom. He purrs loudly when you brush him, melts into touch when you pet him, and chases strings like he’s a kitten again.

He’s present. Fully available. Joyful. Generous with his affection and his attention.

And in those moments, it feels like you have everything.

But then he disappears.

Maybe for a few hours. Maybe for a whole day. He’s an outdoor cat, after all, and always has been. There’s a part of him that can’t be tamed, that doesn’t stay put, that needs to wander.

And when he’s gone… the joy gets a little murky.

We wonder: Where is he? Is he okay? Will he be back? Did something happen?
The mind loops. The heart tightens. The fear creeps in.

We start focusing on the absence instead of remembering the presence.

And strangely, that’s what started to remind me of money.

Money and Outdoor Cats: A Surprisingly Perfect Match

The more I’ve been observing Bart’s rhythms, the more I notice how similar they are to my relationship with money.

When money’s flowing, when it’s here, it feels so good.

It feels abundant, generous, joyful. I’m not worried about the bills, I’m not obsessing over numbers—I’m just in it. Grateful. Relaxed. Free.

And when it’s not here, or when there’s less than I want or need, it’s easy to spiral into that same worry loop:

Where is it? Why isn’t it here yet? Will it come back? What did I do wrong?

And just like with Bart, that energy doesn’t seem to call anything in.
It repels. It tightens. It stresses the relationship.

Worry Is Not a Love Language

Here’s what I’m learning from both Bart and money:

You can’t build a healthy relationship on anxiety and control.

You can’t force an outdoor cat to stay close. You also can’t force money to come when your entire energy is focused on fear or lack.

But when you relax…
When you enjoy what you do have…
When you’re grateful for the moments when it is close and generous with your attention…

The relationship changes.

Instead of obsessing over when Bart will come back, we’ve started enjoying him more when he’s here. We brush him. Play with him. Talk to him like he’s family. He comes into the garage more now. He stays longer. He rests deeper.

And we don’t chase him, or worry about when he will be back when he leaves.

That’s freedom. That’s trust.

Letting the Flow Be the Flow

It’s the same with money.

The less I try to hang onto it, the more I seem to receive.
The less I obsess, the more ease I feel.
The more I treat money like a partner I trust rather than a problem, the more support I seem to have.

Because worry never attracts what you want.
But joy? Gratitude? Presence?

Those are magnets for anything your heart desires.

So Maybe the Lesson Is This…

Let your cats be cats. Let your money be money.
Simply breathe in and out, without gripping so tightly to every inhale.

Bart doesn’t stay because we hold him close. He chooses to stay because we let him go.
And in that freedom, he gives everything—presence, play, love.

Money is no different.

You can’t hoard it and expect to feel rich. You can’t worry yourself into feeling abundant.
Money ebbs and flows, and when you stop panicking over the ebb, you make space for it to flow back in.

So enjoy it when it comes. Spend it.  Share it. Love through it.
Let it move your life in meaningful ways.

Because just like Bart, it’s not the having that changes everything, it’s the trusting.
It’s the being with.

And that’s when everything softens.
That’s when you’ll have more abundance than you ever dreamed.

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