The Road to Heaven Goes Through Hell

Jem Costa
Jem Costa
Sep 2, 2018 · 5 min read

Have you ever gone after something and have it completely blow up in your face?

I have… a lot.

People preach understanding, helping each other, and according to social media, we’re just one big happy family. The Internet is filled with walking saints, everyone seems to be living the dream, and so, so grateful and open hearted.

Ok, so let’s test that out I say!

The way I find truth in this life is dreaming something up, even as simple as having a loving feeling of adoration for my new 7 mo old adopted cat (thanks, I know I’m a saint!) and thought jeez I could totally see her playing on the stairs with another kitty. Oh the times they’ll have together and she won’t be alone. Boy that feels good just thinking about it.

And so off I go to expand our household and this time take my lessons learned off the first cat and make a good next choice. This will be great!

And so off I go, down the yellow brick road. To hell.

It was difficult to pick another kitty. They’re all so cute. My dear friend and companion for this adventure wanted a grey and white kitten like “Pauly” the perfect cat. He was already spoken for. I found “Pauly’s Sister” soon to be named Coquine. And then their was baby Bono, the crooner, little black haired Sinatra, Chouchou. Jesus how can I only take one?

Plus it’s two for the price of one and they come with all their shots, surgeries and so on.

Boom, we’re heading home and it’s going to be GREAT.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions ”— Proverb

What I will add is that the road to hell ends in heaven. Always.

The two kittens, Coquine and Chouchou loved each other. Coquine pounced the hell out of Chouchou, he was an entire month younger than her. She handed his ass to him for four days.

And then they would rest like great siblings.

And then their older sister who is now 11 months, about to become a “cat”.

And it was… awful.

She hid, she lurked, she hissed and she… growled!!

“My god, what a horrible person she is, I thought to myself. My cat is a total asshole!”

I watched as Chouchou would totally ignore her threats. He was in Chouchou land. Amazing to see. In meantime I wanted to kill Plume for being a total dick. I mean the amount of hate that swelled in me for this unappreciative cat was overwhelming. She became a bowling ball and a frisbee a few times it was ugly.

At one point in my fits of rage I realized… man, I’ve got anger issues!

I even locked myself in my room to sleep it off. Boy these creatures are really bringing some old anger up, I mean, every time they walk away I’m offended like an Italian dancer getting a ‘no’ from a lady.

As I would go to bed at night in compete failure I’d wake up feeling awful and… try again. I realized that while I get horrible about the cat tossings, she kind of deserved it and in the end Plume’s a must nicer person. I also got to see things I needed to work out and acknowledge, I’m still angry about my experience with my ex wife. Each time that cat walked away and wouldn’t listen and do what I thought she would, I would lose it.

In the end, we all grew from what the Brahma Kumari’s like to call “accurate drama”. I also got to learn about meeting creatures where they are at and not on my schedule… at all. Boy that sure sounded similar to being with women. And everyone else on this planet!

What a great gift I gave myself. I realized Plume must have been abused or went through Hell the seven months prior. And she had one more date with the devil to help her out of her crap. That would be me. I. Also realized I’m a lot like my cat, you just can’t see me his and growl and loath. But I do. Plume now has two little best friends and they walk all over her. I got to see in four days, six people change completely including my kids. To see how our minds fell in love with a fantasy in a mirror, to chase that dream of happy kitty land, go through the kitty hell theme park and get out the other side… all transcended.

None of these kittens were exactly like I imagined them. They were so much more. And they all challenged and helped each other grow. Into a space of oneness I get to take part in. I started to realize “animals” as I’ve been programmed to call them are quite wise in the sense they are very présent. And any old ills can be processed through by following a simple desire to want the best for each other.

I would highly recommend inviting creatures into your home. It’s quite grounding, helps bring out the best, and clear out the worst that is ready to go and is an amazing spiritual tool for love.

I’ve exaggerated the cat tossing story for dramatic effect to illustrate the feelings of rage I had. Cats flew for sure, but it wasn’t like you think. More like circus flights with perfect landings.

It’s nice to feel grounded again and have these great teachers in my life. And they’re cuddly.

Next up… the fucking fleas.

Jem Costa

Written by

Jem Costa

CEO of Grapetree Ventures | World Traveler, Radio Show Host, Entrepreneur | Former impact maker at Hypernia and Alienware. @jemtherevelator | www.jemcosta.com

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