Reflections

I've been a bit reflective these days... Lots of changes have happened in my life & in the lives of those I love. It's neither good nor bad. It's just life. We humans are apt to complain a lot. And I mean A LOT!! We get sick & we whine & moan. Sickness is no fun of course, especially if one is seriously ill, but overall, our human tendency is to make sure others know we feel yucky. Someone is rude to us & we pout or get angry. We have a bad day & we need time to decompress & unwind. It's just how humans are. 

Animals on the other hand...can be sick & they hide it well - it's what they have to do to survive in the wild. If someone yells at their dog, the dog has hurt feelings yet still forgives & still loves that person. When a dog has had a bad day, it still hopes & still tries to make the most of  its circumstances. 

Just this morning, my husband threw a toy onto the hardwood floor for our dog Penny to play with. She jumped down off our bed (a big jump for such a little dog) & went sliding onto the floor, legs splayed out & head down, with her chin landing with a thump. She quickly grabbed her toy & jumped back up onto the bed as if it was no big deal. My husband instantly felt bad for her & vowed not to throw the toy from the bed anymore. Penny, realizing my husband wasn't going to throw the toy after all, began licking her little toothpick legs. It was clear that although she acted as if it was no big deal, her legs did take a pounding & were sore. But that's a dog for you -- they just go with the flow. They accept what is & move on. So do other animals.

Photo: Cari Kissel

Photo: Cari Kissel

Our cat Ella, after using her litter box, tears through the home as if she's high on catnip, bumping into furniture as she runs. We hear the thump, but she carries on, seemingly concluding that the bumping into things already took place & there's no use dwelling on any pain associated with it. Nevermind the fact that Ella is 13 years old & isn't as active as she used to be. She doesn't let her aging body stop her from having fun when she can. Animals are cool like that. We humans could learn a lot from their example. 

As I reflect on how animals go through life, I realize that out of all the species of life on this planet, human beings are the ones who possess the greatest control over their circumstances, yet complain the most about the hand they are dealt. I'm sure we all know someone who finds every excuse to be negative. The sun never shines for such people & if it did, they wouldn't notice it because they walk around with a dark cloud over their heads. I'm not speaking of those with mental illness who may have difficulty being positive. I'm talking about those who just have a negative disposition overall. Life isn't always going to be sunny & warm. Outside, the birds still happily chirp & sing, flying with gleeful abandon, even when the nights are cold & the winter rains we get here, shake & toss about their homes far more than the earthquakes we occasionally experience ever do. I'll take an earthquake any day, over being tossed about in a tree branch, & possibly having my home thrown to the ground & destroyed by the wind. 

Photo: all-free-download.com

In this world, there is much stress & anxiety because people, intelligent & good as we are, also possess an innate ability to be mean, sometimes cruel & even evil. We can't change the world. We can, however, change our little portion of the world for the better. We can approach life with a positive outlook & attitude & we can BE positive, BE good, BE loving & kind & we can stop fretting over the things that don't matter & focus on the things that do. We can stop dwelling on the past & live for the present.

And when we need to learn how to do just that, we can look to the animals around us & let their examples be our guide.

The End

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