“You’re doing it again,” she said, pushing the sleeves of her Mindfleet uniform to her elbows. This episode isn’t about Mindfleet; she just likes the importance that comes with wearing a Commander’s uniform.
“Doing what?” I asked, carefully sipping the cat’s left ear.
“Striving. Seeking. Building a ‘media empire.’ It’s a bit much for someone who just wrote a blog post about the spiritual benefits of doing absolutely nothing. What’s it called again, Oooh Way?”
“It’s Wu Wei, and it’s the Daoist art of effortless action.”
“Whatever,” she said, fussing with her sleeves again.
“And it’s not an empire,” I protested, apparently loud enough to cause a woman at a nearby table to glance my way and pull her croissant closer. “It’s a cross-platform synergy of wellness,” I added, more softly. “I’m connecting the dots, Amy.”
“Dots,” she sighed. “You mean the various ways you’ve found to talk to yourself in public?”
“No,” I said, leaning in. “This blog is where I document the messy reality of living with a mood disorder. It’s my boots-on-the-ground report from the front lines of my own mental health. But the secret weapon,” I dropped my voice, “the thing that keeps the ‘check engine’ light from blinking 24/7 is the Chatsford tribe.”
Amy tilted her head, as if trying to see the argument from a new angle. “Cats? You mean those small tigers that live in your house and treat you like a mobile treat dispenser?”
“My bond with them is a biological anchor for my anxiety," I protested. "When the world feels like a glitchy streaming service, a purring cat is the only thing that's rendered in high definition. That’s why I started Happy Cats Wellness in the first place.”
“Now, I see what you’re doing with this episode,” she said, royal skepticism dripping from every word. “This blog post is nothing more than thinly veiled propaganda to promote the Happy Cats Wellness podcast.”
“It isn’t propaganda. I’m certified in Pet Preventive Healthcare through Partners for Healthy Pets. I’m a Cat Champion with credentials. I teach people how to use the latest research in preventive care to keep their cats healthy and sane, and in return, the cats can help keep their humans sane. It’s a closed-loop system of mutual survival.”
Amy sat back, fingers toying with the Mindfleet badge on her uniform. “You’re shameless, Alley Oop, you know that, right? I’ve seen the drivel you feed your Substack followers. The new article reveals ... what? The science behind the purr?”
“Princess, don’t pretend you don’t live in my head and know every thought that runs through my mind," I said. “That essay is where I dig into the fundamentals of the human–animal bond and how it helps us cope with mood disorders.
“And this is coming from someone who inducted a ferret into the Federation cadet corps,” I said, my exasperation slipping through.
And so, at the end of the day, the circular journey continues. Sometimes it’s a podcast, sometimes a deep-dive Substack article, and sometimes just me and my inner critic sharing a cold saltwater taffy latte.
“And you think people can follow this trail of breadcrumbs?”
“If they like cats and enjoy a laugh, they’ll follow it anywhere,” I said.
The toddler who enjoys throwing food at me wandered past and dropped a half-chewed gummy bear onto my table. I took it as a cosmic endorsement of my multimedia project.
“Fine,” Amy said, standing and smoothing her tunic. “Nice dream, Bucko, but even emperors do their laundry at the end of the day. Here’s a tip: write more Mindfleet episodes, they’re the only posts that go viral on The Circular Journey.”
“If they like cats and enjoy a laugh, they’ll follow it anywhere,” I said.
The toddler who enjoys throwing food at me wandered past and dropped a half-chewed gummy bear onto my table. I took it as a cosmic endorsement of my multimedia project.
“Fine,” Amy said, standing and smoothing her tunic. “Nice dream, Bucko, but even emperors do their laundry at the end of the day. Here’s a tip: write more Mindfleet episodes, they’re the only posts that go viral on The Circular Journey.”
“And this is coming from someone who inducted a ferret into the Federation cadet corps,” I said, my exasperation slipping through.
And so, at the end of the day, the circular journey continues. Sometimes it’s a podcast, sometimes a deep-dive Substack article, and sometimes just me and my inner critic sharing a cold saltwater taffy latte.
