i always seem to be trying to learn something.
balance. kindness. patience. humility.
....wisdom, which also keeps eluding me.
it's a continuous learning curve for me.
i have learned so much from the animals.
i learned acceptance (to a certain degree) from copper. i spent years keeping him from killing himself. Years devoted to outsmarting him. and years learning to love unconditionally a self centered, horribly stubborn, conniving narcissistic determined fat little being.
i learned loyalty and heart break can lead to being a better me from tyra.
wee hopeful bug taught me that no matter how broken, no matter how challenging life could be.... there was always the opportunity to find joy in little things.
i learned patience (to a certain degree) from Phoebe. She was ADDH, who reacted (badly) before she would think, who ran circles around me in lightening speed. She challenged me, she infuriated me, she frustrated me. But by the time she died she had taught me a little more about having patience in the face of adversity.
i learned about being me from cole. A broken big city dog who was convinced he was a wolf, a free and wild thing.
i learned forgiveness from many of them. no matter how crappy their lives, no matter how shitty their previous human encounters, how much they had been betrayed...they laid it to rest here and loved us anyway.
i learned about deep and total love from luna and dignity and honor from our white knight, gideon.
odie and jerry taught me that getting bitten was not always personal..sometimes it was an accident and usually it had nothing to do with me.
marilla taught me about hope...and faith that life can get better. and she also taught me to pay kindness forward.
carl taught me to look around me, be observant and look deeper because things are not always as they seem.
and ellie taught me to look past the really obvious because a pig is never just a pig.
i think i have learned some wise things along the way..but what i really have learned more than anything is that real wisdom is still far away.
there are many animals here, many more lessons to learn...i have many new teachers on this bumpy road of trying to live life a little bit wiser as old age creeps up on me.
roger, sweet and gentle boy(RIP)
Sweet Roger….he showed me how determined he was even with that debilitating cough of his and lived life the best he could right up until the end…thanks for this post Carol. It is always nice to look back on the precious Saints that are no longer with us. In regards to Odie and Jerry, I will try to keep your comments in mind and not take it personal when picking up Mad Max for his walk!!