Keep Breathing

Erica K

Erica K
Location
New Jersey, USA
Birthday
September 26
Bio
Grew up in Jackson Heights, New York, but now live in Jersey. Married and the proud owner (servant?) of 4 cats, including a little blind guy named Quincy. Jobs have included: English teacher in U.S. and abroad, cabaret performer and member of a NYC sketch comedy troupe; now a full-time legal secretary and freelance writer. Other jobs: canvasser for NYPIRG/cannery worker in Naknek, Alaska (a fisherman told me it was "the ugliest part of Alaska")/dog kennel cleaner/member of the swine and poultry crew on a California farm. Currently performing my solo show, "The Year of Dead Cats," at Stage Left Studio in NYC. http://stageleftstudio.net/ "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." Samuel Beckett

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Salon.com
JUNE 4, 2012 5:21PM

The World According to Quincy

Rate: 30 Flag

 

1.  Don’t Let Physical Impairments Define You.  (Quincy has asthma, is totally blind in his right eye and has 30% vision in his left.  He's already lost one of his nine lives.)

 

 
Baby Quincy
  
 

 

2.  Do Something Weird or Ridiculous When the Spirit Moves You:  It Will Disarm Those Who Mean You Harm.  

 

 

Crazy Quince
 

 

 

 

3.  Love Your Brother as You Love Yourself. 

 

Sammy and Quincy 2
 Samson and Quincy

 

 4.  Let It All Hang Out.  Everyone needs a good airing sometimes. 

 

Lewd Q
   

 

5.  Fight for What You Believe In.   (In response to Zuma's open call for Trayvon Martin)

 

me and Quincy in hoodies
 Me and and Angry Quincy in Shared Hoodie

 

6.  Nap to Recharge the Batteries.  

 

 

Quince asleep
 

 

   

7.  Be Open to Friends of  Other Species.  

 

 

Q and friends
  

 

8.  Get Plenty of Fresh Air.  It’s good for the temperament.  

 

outdoor Q
  

9.  Share Your Food, Toys and Whatever Else You Have.

 

10.  Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.  Life is too short. 

 

 

photo
 

Text as spoken by Quincy.  All photos by Erica K except for hoodie photo which was taken by Erica K's husband.

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Comments

Type your comment below:
Quincy looks like he was born wearing a hoodie. I wonder if he would get along with Tink?
Great stuff -- let it all hang out indeed....
Quincy is a lot like me only one eye is okay.. I envy him.. wish I wasn;t allergic to cats.. Love them so much
Quincy is precious
HUGGGGGGG
I loved this photo essay. It's charming and endearing and shares more truth than the average novel.
Rated
How sweet...I love the "all hang out" pic. Cats are awesome, I've written about mine many times.
Chicken Maaan, I don't believe they are acquainted as of yet.

MH, thank you

Linda, I'm legally blind in a car without my glasses or contacts, sorry you're allergic; I have more than one friend who can't have cats because of allergies. Hugs.
Thank you, Poor Woman.

Maureen, aren't they wonderful creatures?
Quincy looks like he's got it figured out.
Great goofy cat.
Quincy is the man. I love him just the way he is. Meowsers. R.
Phyllis, he is a very zen little man.

jmac, he's the bomb.

Jali, yes, he's the best.

Lea, :)
Egg-cellent words of wisdom from the kitty. Livin large I see!
Aw, thank you Quincy for your wisdom on life. You are right Mr. Q Magoo, life is too short. Do you do yoga? You are so flexible and relaxed!

Please give a big hug to Erica!

Erica and Quincy, xxo O (Big hug!)
Re: photo 2, I envy Quincy's flexibility! :-)
Yeah baby, Quincy knows the way to nirvana.
You have no idea how hard this was for me to see. Yet, I find this post painfully compassionate. Thank you, Erica. R
Cats were born to yoga!
Great photos! My cat hides under the bed for days if there is anything (like a maintenance man) in the house. He's a scardycat, but he's mine.
Not only is Quincy absolutely adorable - he's one wise cat!

And I definitely wouldn't want to cross him when he's in your hoodie! :-)

Thank you for this super-cute - and very true post.
Thanks for sharing Quincy with me. Quite a character and very wise.
Love his ridiculous pose. What an adorable cat. Quincy appears to have some fine priorities.
Asia, he is large (not physically, but in his mind) and in charge!

Joanne, I hug Momma all the time. -Quincy

L'Heure, I am a devout Buddhist. -Quincy

Cc, yes, I do too. He's teaching me yoga.

Thoth, I'm sorry this was hard for you. Is everything okay?
Shanghai, yes they were-they are so flexible.

D of S, our cat Karl is a fraidy cat too. They all have distinct personalities.

cc, me too!

Alysa, he is wise and fierce and incredibly affectionate.

Fernsy, so many more ridiculous poses, but I can't get them all on camera--he's too quick.
Zanelle, a character he is.
Sweet. Perfect for hanging out.
Quincy is adorable
From one cat woman
To another
Quincy is adorable
From one cat woman
To another
Mary, thanks for coming by.

Mission, he is my precious boy. He sits behind me on the sofa when we watch TV and rests his paws on my shoulder.
"Let It All Hang Out. Everyone needs a good airing sometimes. "

I DUES! I DEWS!!! RATD!!!!
"Nap to Recharge the Batteries."

Oh yeah, we'd get along just fine!! :D

Rated!
Quincy’s adorable. And I’ve long been a fan of Philosophy #2. Also, thanks for War (the song, that is ... when it was out and on the radio, I had a good friend at the time who initially thought they were singing “I can be repaired, I can be repaired ...”)
Hot Shoe, yay!

Tink, he's taught me the finer things in life.

VA, now that's funny! It took me years to figure out what Elton John was saying in Yellowbrook Road.
[r] better'n wading through another self help book!!! fun, quick and profound. great interpretations of postures, erika! excellent collaboration. these and the "keep breathing" message ... what more formulae are needed for this life? thank you!!! best, libby
libby, I posted this to cheer myself up after a lousy weekend. Glad you enjoyed. xo
What is about cats that make them so lovable? Every time my mother-in-law calls, the first thing she asks about is our cat. And then scolds us for not feeding him properly. (I should mention that he's 15 pounds --- hardly wasting away.)
PMG, that is one healthy cat! We have a Norwegian Forest cat who us over 15 pounds, but they are a large breed.
He's a big cat to begin with; just a big red tomcat. He has a bit of a belly but I guess when you're 12 yo, that's OK. Although he likes to let it all hang out as well, which is always a laugh.
PMG, he's a senior citizen, so I say let him do his thing! LOL
Awesome funny and introspective. I always knew cats were capable of braod thinking and compassion....well...braod thin king anyway.
Awesome funny and introspective. I always knew cats were capable of braod thinking and compassion....well...braod thin king anyway.
Dianne, thanks. Cats rock!
Here's to Quincy and letting it all hang out!

OSman and me~
R♥
Quincy is wise beyond his years. R
Fusun, thanks.

escrito, yes, he is.
I am so in love with this post!!! What a beautiful kitty and fabby photos. Yay!!!!