Unthinkable!
Unheard of!
Can’t be done!
Impossible!
Simply saying something isn’t possible doesn’t mean that thing isn’t possible. It just means someone hasn’t done it yet (that others know about), or that the doubter lacks imagination.
Either way, in the vastness of time, space, and possibility there lies a realm of the supposedly impossible.
Impossible is a meaningless term, anyway. “Improbable” is closer to the truth. Just ask a statistician. (I do have one statistics joke, but it is improbable that anyone else will find it funny.)
Because the realm of the improbable touches on our daily lives, we have coined certain phrases to indicate just how low is the likelihood of a given improbability occurring.
That will happen…when pigs fly. (Anyone else imagining piglets in flak jackets?)
You can do that…over my dead body. (Not actually a fan of that one. Too morbid.)
That’s about…as easy as herding cats. (Now, I’ve got your attention!)
There’s an inherent understanding that, when one invokes the idea of herding cats, the task to be undertaken is very difficult, even impossible.
Not impossible, rest assured, just highly improbable. Yet, it can be done. I herd cats every single night. Why? Because clowder…very treat motivated clowder. I go upstairs; they go upstairs. I go downstairs; they go downstairs. I whistle, they run. I move, they trip me while trying to get where I’m going first.
“Herding” might be too strong of a word, but it’s close enough to the mark. They come when I want them to. They move when I want them to. They do a lot I don’t want them to do, too, but, well, cats.
Digressions aside, it occurs to me that the feeders at Tabby’s Place could put on quite a parade. All it would take is good timing and a little organization. Lead with Tray of Dinners 1, first suite follows. Next, Tray of Dinners 2, second suite follows. You get the gist.
I’m not saying it wouldn’t disintegrate into chaos (entropy always wins) fairly quickly, but for a little while, the whole herd of Tabby’s Place cats would be a symphony of movement, all going in the same direction, all following their noses and tummies.
Herding cats? It’s not impossible, just very highly improbable.