Anyone who knows me knows that I love animals, not all equally, and am in awe of the creatures that are cohabitating with us on earth. This month's Gratitude Focus is animals -- those live with you, that you know well, that you see in your life and that work behind the scenes.
My husband chuckles when I feel horrible stepping on a spider. It's an immediate reaction to having something in my house that doesn't belong there...but does it? Spiders control the flies, moths, mosquitos and other bothersome pests in the house and garden; and, seriously, aren't their webs wondrous? On the other hand, I'm delicious to spiders so I'm not fond of the spider bites I find some mornings and they are scary!
Insects and other creatures that I don't notice, however, do have a place in our world. I have a very hard time understanding the purpose of fleas or other parasites but Google their purpose and there's something positive there (they aid in the decomposition of decaying matter and enrich soil). You have to admit, also, that colonies of ants and bees are fascinating. I just don't want the hordes anywhere near me!
What I do love is watching birds and squirrels outside my window, in my yard or out on my walk. I love the birds' different sounds -- singing, talking to each other and sending out a warning that a large creature (me) is nearby. The squirrels are so agile that, on my walk, I sometimes stop to watch them jump from tree to tree or scurry up the trunk. They often look like they're flying.
On our walks, our dog has become familiar with the neighborhood pets. There's a cat down the street that is not one bit afraid of our dog. In fact, I'd bet our dog is afraid of that cat! And, as we walk down the street, our dog looks into the yard to see if her dog friends are home. We laugh that we remember the pets' names before we remember their human companion's names!
I love my families' pets. My sister has a cute dog that is loyal to her yet very sweet to us. When we visit, we're like long-lost friends to him (yet, we see him almost every day). My niece and her husband have a smart cat who sits on command. If I am lucky to babysit him, I can endlessly watch him play with the tin foil ball I toss to him. My brother-in-law's two terriers have complete opposite personalities; yet, they are so close to each other that it's endearing. I am always reminded of an aging couple who have lived full lives together after figuring out how to cope with each other's quirks.
Then, there are the myriads of dogs and cats we've had. I've loved them all dearly and, occasionally, pull out the hundreds of pictures I've taken to reminisce what they've added to our lives. We have one dog now (the second just recently succumbed to cancer) and she makes us laugh everyday. She's a happy soul and plays endlessly. She does everything she can to communicate what she's thinking or what she wants, which delights us.
I am thankful that we have such wonderful animals in our lives. They pull us out of thinking only about ourselves and look at the whole picture. They make us young, giving us laughter, love and happiness.