“Rinpoche, you’re acting strangely. Why are you chasing your tail in that frantic way? Are you stressed about something?”
“Too little time … too much to do… too much pressure…”
“Whoa… Calm down, Rinpoche! Take a deep breath.”
“I don’t have time to breathe, Daddi. I have too many things to do.”
“Like what?”
“I have to do my thorough weekly wash…
“And?”
“I must go outside for a toilet trip…”
“And then?”
“I have to do a garden inspection to see whether everything still looks the same…”
“Nothing has changed, Rinpoche, so I can save you the time and trouble.”
“I have to make sure, Daddi. Something might have been moved or stolen.”
“It hasn’t. Do you have any other chores?”
“I promised to fetch Mittens from Kitty Crèche this afternoon.”
“That will only take a few minutes. Mittens lives right next door to the crèche. Is that all you have to do today?”
“Isn’t it enough, Daddi? I’m a poor overworked cat.”
“You have a perfectly achievable to-do list, Rinpoche. The sooner you begin, the sooner everything will be done. Why don’t you start right now with your thorough wash?”
“I’m not in the mood, Daddi.”
“Well, do your toilet trip first.”
“Outside toilet trips are so boring, Daddi. I’d far rather use my litter box.”
“Don’t be so lazy, Rinpoche! Besides, once you are outside, you’ll be perfectly positioned for doing your garden inspection.”
“I don’t feel like it, Daddi. All this stress has been exhausting. I need to recover with a long nap and maybe a small snack and a saucer of milk … cream would be even better if you have some.”
“Rinpoche, if you get started on your work immediately, you’ll easily finish all your chores before lunchtime, and there’ll still be plenty of time for a nap and snack before you fetch Mittens from Kitty Crèche.”
“I’d rather not fetch him, Daddi. That kitten is impossible; he doesn’t stay still for a moment! I’m sure he has attention deafercat disorder.”
“Of course he doesn’t have attention deficit disorder! He’s a normal, lively kitten. Rinpoche, I really don’t think your problem is that you have too much work and too little time.”
“Then what exactly is my problem, Daddi?”
“I think it’s a case of having too little inclination.”
“That’s exactly it, Daddi!”
