As my 20-year old cat has gotten older, he has gotten more vocal. In the first couple hours of work, he will come in the meow for his soft food about 5 times. Sometimes right after I have fed him and food is still in his bowl. I have to point his face to the full bowl and he will happily eat it up.

If I don’t get up right away to feed him, he will meow over and over and over. I love my cat, but by this point I am annoyed by him.

I was tired of feeling frustrated at my cat all my work day, so I needed to reframe this interruption. I started to see it as a chance to show love to my cat, Thomas. I would talk sweetly, sometimes pick him up and pet him before bringing him to the kitchen.

This loving time made me feel less frustrated. It also brought some much-needed lightness to my day. A little shot of love, that helped me with my other work.

Most of us deal with interruptions during our day. Some, more than others.

Life isn’t all about what we plan. Meaningful moments often come as interruptions or unexpected events. When we only want to follow our plan, we can miss out on opportunities to connect. Like the phone call you “don’t have time for” or the doorbell ringing or the last-minute invite. How about the kid who has said, “Mommy, look,” for the millionth time today?

Interruptions are going to happen. We can either get anxious and upset, or we can reframe them into opportunities to love and connect.

Now I need to go feed my cat who is sitting on the floor next to my chair meowing and glaring.