Yesterday I spoke to someone for a while, who had to leave her dog in short distance in order to speak with me and to do some necessary work, when suddenly she said, that she had to go looking for the dog, as he would start crying. She had an app on her phone to become aware when he would start to feel unwell or left. So we went to take the dog with us. He was so full of joy, danced around us, sat next to us, raised his head to be cuddled and stroked and you could just feel both his gratitude and joy to be with her again, which swept over to me and to all the world around. He expressed pure gratitude and joy to be and to be with him and with her and each other brought gratitude and joy. So grateful for this moment.
Right now I live with 2 dogs and 1 cat. I have my daughter’s cat and before that my son’s cat. Somehow I always have cats lol. My favorite cat though was my childhood cat Mopsy. My favorite of the pets in the house is Stanley. He cracks me up with his big smiles and frowns when he isn’t so happy. He loves to rub himself on bushes and scratch his back rolling around on the grass. He loves going for a walks but he chooses which way and if it is not the way he wants to go he will lay down. He is quite the character!!
Saw this on FACEBOOK today and thought of today’s quote and question.
”The famous Italian diver Enzo Mallorca dove into the sea of Syracuse and was talking to his daughter Rossana who was aboard the boat. Ready to go in, he felt something slightly hit his back.
He turned and saw a dolphin. Then he realized that the dolphin did not want to play but to express something.
The animal dove and Enzo followed.
At a depth of about 12 meters, trapped in an abandoned net, there was another dolphin. Enzo quickly asked his daughter to grab the diving knives. Soon, the two of them managed to free the dolphin, which, at the end of the ordeal, emerged, issued an “almost human cry” (describes Enzo).
(A dolphin can stay under water for up to 10 minutes, then it drowns.)
The released dolphin was helped to the surface by Enzo, Rosana and the other dolphin. That’s when the surprise came: she was pregnant!
The male circled them, and then stopped in front of Enzo, touched his cheek (like a kiss), in a gesture of gratitude and then they both swam off.
Enzo Mallorca ended his speech by saying: “Until man learns to respect and speak to the animal world, he can never know his true role on Earth.”
I currently share my home with my partner and our five cats. In addition to that , I am currently fostering 4 kittens. My partner works opposite hours as me and I work from home so my days are mostly spent not around other humans. This question is quite timely for me as I often struggle with loneliness and feeling trapped in my house alone. It reminds me to observe my cats more and try to live gratefully as they always do.
For all my life I’ve lived with cats, now I have three.
Every of them taught me patience, stillness and self-love, they taught me to leave a place/person when it is no longer pleasant and that every moment is the right moment to start what you want to do.
I’m really grateful for living with my favourite animal on the planet (my top four is: 1. cats; 2. bears; 3. cows; 4. donkeys).
I live with a cat so this question is a non-starter, haha. He is a creature of entitlement and indifference, except when he’s in the right mood for me to rub him under the chin and he leans into it, eyes closed, experiencing sheer pleasure. That’s as close as he gets to gratitude and it’s a lesson in living fully in the moments of delight.
He’s the first somewhat unfriendly cat I’ve ever had so I attach a bit too much to the moments when he’s amenable to being petted or curling up on my lap. He won’t even purr for me now, although he did as a kitten; he only purrs for my husband. Since my husband originally didn’t want a cat (I’m both patient and persistent), if the cat loves only one of us I’m glad it’s him. I guess the lesson there is one of unselfishness.
I am grateful for our neighbor’s beautiful cat who likes to spend much time with us every day. He chooses his place in our house according to the temperature – on the wooden floor, on the bed or on our lap. He has a loud voice and tells us what he wants. And he is content to visit even if we are not at home and is sleeping until we return.
My interaction with animals is very limited. BUT the birds have intrigued me. Our summer has been dry and there has been a parade of birds that have frequented our make shift bird bath. I am amazed by their precision to land on the rim, take the amount they need and leave. A pair of parents have made a messy nest on our rain gutter elbow. I am amazed that they have used the litter of us folks….plastic and t shirt material. Lastly, I chuckled at a pair of robin’s walking in unison down the walkway. It reminded me of 2 good friends in serious banter.
All animals are to me pure joy…my heart lights up whenever I see any animal. I have the great pleasure of living with two cats and a dog…they make every day better for me…and they teach me to be grateful for each moment- not take anything, or anyone or any living being for granted. Don’t stress and rest when you need to. I would be so lonely without these guys (and gal) in my life.
Thinking of our dogs, I would say they taught me: Spread love, time is short, enjoy people, notice every little thing, play, be grateful for your food, exercise with curiosity and joy, and rest when you need to. My husband tells me our dog would sit and look out the window when it was time for me to come home from work so that tells me they can anticipate a joyful reunion too.
When I look out the window in winter and during storms, I am awed how the animals and plants can make it through some really difficult times and I am grateful they do.
We had a dog named … wait for it… Clara Dory Ticknipple Birddog…. yes — she had a nipple that looked like a tick and it always made us laugh. But Dory was because she reminded us of Dory on Nemo and the short term memory loss. Everything was always new for Clara. She was excited about everything she saw on every adventure we took.
Give yourself the gift of free bi-monthly inspiration including uplifting articles, diverse stories, supportive practices, videos, and more, delivered with heart to your inbox.
Yesterday I spoke to someone for a while, who had to leave her dog in short distance in order to speak with me and to do some necessary work, when suddenly she said, that she had to go looking for the dog, as he would start crying. She had an app on her phone to become aware when he would start to feel unwell or left. So we went to take the dog with us. He was so full of joy, danced around us, sat next to us, raised his head to be cuddled and stroked and you could just feel both his gratitude and joy to be with her again, which swept over to me and to all the world around. He expressed pure gratitude and joy to be and to be with him and with her and each other brought gratitude and joy. So grateful for this moment.
Right now I live with 2 dogs and 1 cat. I have my daughter’s cat and before that my son’s cat. Somehow I always have cats lol. My favorite cat though was my childhood cat Mopsy. My favorite of the pets in the house is Stanley. He cracks me up with his big smiles and frowns when he isn’t so happy. He loves to rub himself on bushes and scratch his back rolling around on the grass. He loves going for a walks but he chooses which way and if it is not the way he wants to go he will lay down. He is quite the character!!
My children had many cats when they were growing up. Two of the more memorable names were Rabbers and Wellington.
Dogs, some how they’re always happy… i need to figure out how to always be happy.
Saw this on FACEBOOK today and thought of today’s quote and question.
”The famous Italian diver Enzo Mallorca dove into the sea of Syracuse and was talking to his daughter Rossana who was aboard the boat. Ready to go in, he felt something slightly hit his back.
He turned and saw a dolphin. Then he realized that the dolphin did not want to play but to express something.
The animal dove and Enzo followed.
At a depth of about 12 meters, trapped in an abandoned net, there was another dolphin. Enzo quickly asked his daughter to grab the diving knives. Soon, the two of them managed to free the dolphin, which, at the end of the ordeal, emerged, issued an “almost human cry” (describes Enzo).
(A dolphin can stay under water for up to 10 minutes, then it drowns.)
The released dolphin was helped to the surface by Enzo, Rosana and the other dolphin. That’s when the surprise came: she was pregnant!
The male circled them, and then stopped in front of Enzo, touched his cheek (like a kiss), in a gesture of gratitude and then they both swam off.
Enzo Mallorca ended his speech by saying: “Until man learns to respect and speak to the animal world, he can never know his true role on Earth.”
I currently share my home with my partner and our five cats. In addition to that , I am currently fostering 4 kittens. My partner works opposite hours as me and I work from home so my days are mostly spent not around other humans. This question is quite timely for me as I often struggle with loneliness and feeling trapped in my house alone. It reminds me to observe my cats more and try to live gratefully as they always do.
For all my life I’ve lived with cats, now I have three.
Every of them taught me patience, stillness and self-love, they taught me to leave a place/person when it is no longer pleasant and that every moment is the right moment to start what you want to do.
I’m really grateful for living with my favourite animal on the planet (my top four is: 1. cats; 2. bears; 3. cows; 4. donkeys).
You gave me a very different perspective on my crabby cat. Thank you for this.
I live with a cat so this question is a non-starter, haha. He is a creature of entitlement and indifference, except when he’s in the right mood for me to rub him under the chin and he leans into it, eyes closed, experiencing sheer pleasure. That’s as close as he gets to gratitude and it’s a lesson in living fully in the moments of delight.
He’s the first somewhat unfriendly cat I’ve ever had so I attach a bit too much to the moments when he’s amenable to being petted or curling up on my lap. He won’t even purr for me now, although he did as a kitten; he only purrs for my husband. Since my husband originally didn’t want a cat (I’m both patient and persistent), if the cat loves only one of us I’m glad it’s him. I guess the lesson there is one of unselfishness.
As I sit here and watch my cat look
out the window, I am reminded to
slow down and take notice of this
place.
I am grateful for our neighbor’s beautiful cat who likes to spend much time with us every day. He chooses his place in our house according to the temperature – on the wooden floor, on the bed or on our lap. He has a loud voice and tells us what he wants. And he is content to visit even if we are not at home and is sleeping until we return.
My interaction with animals is very limited. BUT the birds have intrigued me. Our summer has been dry and there has been a parade of birds that have frequented our make shift bird bath. I am amazed by their precision to land on the rim, take the amount they need and leave. A pair of parents have made a messy nest on our rain gutter elbow. I am amazed that they have used the litter of us folks….plastic and t shirt material. Lastly, I chuckled at a pair of robin’s walking in unison down the walkway. It reminded me of 2 good friends in serious banter.
All animals are to me pure joy…my heart lights up whenever I see any animal. I have the great pleasure of living with two cats and a dog…they make every day better for me…and they teach me to be grateful for each moment- not take anything, or anyone or any living being for granted. Don’t stress and rest when you need to. I would be so lonely without these guys (and gal) in my life.
Thinking of our dogs, I would say they taught me: Spread love, time is short, enjoy people, notice every little thing, play, be grateful for your food, exercise with curiosity and joy, and rest when you need to. My husband tells me our dog would sit and look out the window when it was time for me to come home from work so that tells me they can anticipate a joyful reunion too.
When I look out the window in winter and during storms, I am awed how the animals and plants can make it through some really difficult times and I am grateful they do.
These are wonderful lessons. Thank you for sharing.
Life is now, and animals are so good at staying in the moment…. especially cats. I’m so grateful for the zen master cats I’ve had in my life.
We had a dog named … wait for it… Clara Dory Ticknipple Birddog…. yes — she had a nipple that looked like a tick and it always made us laugh. But Dory was because she reminded us of Dory on Nemo and the short term memory loss. Everything was always new for Clara. She was excited about everything she saw on every adventure we took.
great name!
Animals teach us that living simply with unconditional love is all we need to have a grateful life.