"The Journey"
When you bring a pet into your life you begin a journey -
a journey that will bring you more love and devotion than you have
ever known yet also test your strength and courage.
If you allow the journey will teach you many things about life
about yourself and most of all about love. You will come away changed
forever for one soul cannot touch another without leaving its mark.
Along the way you will learn much about savoring life's simple
pleasures - jumping in leaves snoozing in the sun the joys of
puddles and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears.
If you spend much time outside you will be taught how to truly
experience every element for no rock leaf or log will go unexamined
no rustling bush will be overlooked and even the very air will be inhaled
pondered and noted as being full of valuable information.
Your pace may be slower - except when heading home to the food dish -
but you will become a better naturalist having been taught by an expert
in the field.
Too many times we hike on automatic pilot our goal being to complete
the trail rather than enjoy the journey. We miss the details - the
colorful mushrooms on the rotting log the honeycomb in the old maple
snag the hawk feather caught on a twig. Once we walk as a dog does
we discover a whole new world. We stop; we browse the landscape
we kick over leaves peek in tree holes look up down all around.
And we learn what any dog knows:
that nature has created a marvelously complex world that is full of
surprises that each cycle of the seasons bring ever changing wonders
each day an essence all its own.
Even from indoors you will find yourself more attuned to the world
around you. You will find yourself watching summer insects collecting
on a screen.(How bizarre they are! How many kinds there are!) or noting
the flick and flash of fireflies through the dark. You will stop to
observe the swirling dance of windblown leaves or sniff the air after a rain.
It does not matter that there is no objective in this; the point is in
the doing in not letting life's most important details slip by.
You will find yourself doing silly things that your pet-less friends
might not understand: spending thirty minutes in the grocery aisle
looking for the cat food brand your feline must have buying dog birthday
treats or driving around the block an extra time because your pet enjoys
the ride. You will roll in the snow wrestle with chewie toys bounce little
rubber balls till your eyes cross and even run around the house trailing
your bathrobe tie - with a cat in hot pursuit - all in the name of love.
Your house will become muddier and hairier. You will wear less dark
clothing and buy more lint rollers. You may find dog biscuits in your
pocket or purse and feel the need to explain that an old plastic shopping
bag adorns your living room rug because your cat loves the crinkly sound.
You will learn the true measure of love - the steadfast undying kind
that says "It doesn't matter where we are or what we do or how life
treats us as long as we are together." Respect this always. It is the most
precious gift any living soul can give another. You will not find it often
among the human race.
And you will learn humility. The look in my dog's eyes often made me
feel ashamed. Such joy and love at my presence. She saw not some
flawed human who could be cross and stubborn moody or rude but only
her wonderful companion. Or maybe she saw those things and dismissed
them as mere human foibles not worth considering and so chose to love
me anyway.
If you pay attention and learn well when the journey is done you
will be not just a better person but the person your pet always knew you
to be - the one they were proud to call beloved friend.
I must caution you that this journey is not without pain. Like all
paths of true love the pain is part of loving. For as surely as the sun
sets one day your dear animal companion will follow a trail you cannot yet
go down. And you will have to find the strength and love to let them go.
A pet's time on earth is far too short - especially for those that love them.
We borrow them really just for awhile and during these brief years
they are generous enough to give us all their love every inch of their spirit
and heart until one day there is nothing left.
The cat that only yesterday was a kitten is all too soon old and frail
and sleeping in the sun. The young pup of boundless energy wakes up
stiff and lame the muzzle now gray. Deep down we somehow always knew
that this journey would end. We knew that if we gave our hearts they
would be broken.
But give them we must for it is all they ask in return. When the time
comes and the road curves ahead to a place we cannot see we give one
final gift and let them run on ahead - young and whole once more.
"Godspeed good friend," we say until our journey comes full circle and
our paths cross again.
Written by Crystal Ward Kent
Submitted by Krystal Carter
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| Krystal Carter |