profundity of kitty litter

 
one of the most profound things she ever said in my presence
had nothing (& everything) to do with life
my little sister is a wealth of unexpected knowledge
but this statement has always stuck in my mind
we were sharing a house at the time
splitting household chores & expenses
among them...4 cats between us
she came home one day with a new kind of kitty litter
scoopable...which wasn't a thing until then
I watched as she filled the box
then frowned when she pulled out a soup ladle
placing it neatly in a jar beside the pan
I eventually asked...
why not use a poop scoop like they sell in the store
I'll never forget her response
I'm not in the business of sifting shit
even barely touching...it's all going to smell like it
in that moment I was given a whole new perspective
how much do we permit...
...tainted with toxicity
...essentially unhealthy
whenever I'm struggling to decide what I should do
I think back on my sister...
using a soup ladle to scoop poop
because if it stunk...she wasn't having it
it helps me figure things out
if it's even on the fringes of toxic
it's all getting chopped
I'm no longer in the business of sifting shit
it's just not worth it