Charlie has adored the balcony and the morning sun since he was a kitten. From the very beginning, he seems to understand that the best way to know the world is simply to watch it, as if he were born with that talent. You could probably say the same about any cat, but let's be honest, the smartest, the most beautiful is always your own.
These pictures capture one of Charlie's first morning shifts, where he greets me with his signature meow.
Funny thing, cats seem to have something like expressions too. A subtle dance of ears, eyes, and head. Tilt the ears just so, squint slightly, or fling the eyes wide, yawn, meow, and suddenly his face tells a completely different story.
Each expression carries its own nuance, from the lazy mmm, alright, morning's here to the cheeky I'm not letting this slide. It is as if someone were silently flipping through modes.
Sometimes it feels like he isn't just looking out the window, but conducting an internal audit.
That sound requires further analysis, that person downstairs seems suspicious, and the sparrows have gone completely rogue.
Everything is noted. Nothing forgotten.
And other times, quite the opposite, pure contemplation takes over. Just light, air, and sound, the whole huge, huge, huge world. Or at least that small slice of it that unfolds from the balcony.
And maybe there is something to learn from that. Though, of course, he is just a cat named Charlie. But a very good cat. The smartest and the most beautiful.
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