Some thoughts on what we learn from our pets... Fitness of the heart... Several days ago I Skyped with a friend in Florida. It was an upbeat phone call, and afterward I stepped back into my workday with a refreshed attitude. Several hours later I received the following email from the friend I had Skyped with: “Roy, Zalul, my horse, died. Born March Forth (intended spelling) 1974. He died on his chosen spot and did not suffer. I was able to be by his side with my hand on his head as he passed. I bathed him in cool water. He lived a wonderful full life. Just after he died, we had a brief and very strong storm! Tears from heaven. After the rain, I buried him in the field out front of the house not far from where my best dog lies. I was there with him at the end too! It shows that we can die in a very natural, graceful way if medicine does not distort it all for us.” In reading of my friend’s loss, I was reminded of the most important truism I know. If we are fortunate enough to love an animal, and be a steward for him, we are blessed in many ways. Not the least of which is learning a superior context we can apply to the duration of a life. When we are born our parents are already older. We never really know them in their youth. If we are fortunate enough to have children, we know them in their youth, and perhaps even into middle age. However, most never see their children live deep into old age. Having a pet gives us a different perspective on this. Horse, dog, or hedgehog, e often get our pets at an early age, and are often able to see them live a completed life. When I stop to consider this, it reminds me that we have so much to learn about the seasons of life from our pets. The fragility of spring. The restlessness of summer. The calm of autumn. The closing of winter. Watching these seasons through the animals I have loved, has helped me better understand the humans I love, and better understand myself… rc https://facebook/permalink.php?story_fbid=10151608697661342&id=184255796341&comment_id=27666998&offset=0&total_comments=3
Posted on: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 18:31:52 +0000
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