I’ve adopted a head-butter.

Meaning, when I’m on the floor hoping to bond with the little guy, he actually goes for it. He’ll first start purring while hiding under the bed, eventually scoot out from underneath it, come over, then touch noses with me and lower his head so that it butts against mine.

Swoon.

Truth be told, I wasn’t sure of his personality when I adopted him — I just knew he’d been growing up in a cage, and nobody wanted to give him a forever home. I’m pretty glad I did.

I was excited by two things tonight that have never before had such an effect on me: a scratching post, and a litter box. He used both as though he was an old pro. He also likes to stand on his hind legs and reach up to my hands if I’m holding them over his head — seems like he knows how to seek out affection with the best of ’em but, then again, I suppose I would, too, if someone had helped me leave a cold vet’s office and metal cage in my rearview mirror.

Tonight I am thankful for Jack’s settling in process that has been going quite swimmingly over the last day, and I’m excited to see how he continues to acclimate. It makes me realize that for as much as our lives can change on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis, sometimes the 180-degree turns that happen in the blink of an eye are the most rewarding to embrace. We might not’ve seen it coming, but if we look at the good that will inevitably be all around us, we’ll realize how lucky we are.

But maybe hold off on head-butting someone in gratitude.