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 joy 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 brings 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 flicker 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 not be 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 path 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 those brief years they are generous enough to give us all of
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 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.
(Crystal Ward Kent, Copyright 1998 – All Rights Reserved)
*****
I would like to thank Crystal Ward Kent (www.journeyforanimals.com) for her kind permission to publish her writing on my blog.
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