Lucky (aka Slugo) was my best friend during the summers spent at my uncle and aunt's horse ranch in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Breathing in his warm breath, breathing out our combined breaths, he breathed us in through his soft, large nostrils. We passed many breaths like this in stillness. We grew accustomed to greeting each other this way and starting each interaction with quietude and love.
My fondness for animals began much before those days with the horses, and continues still. It started during my grade school years with visits to see Mr. Pisani at his market. In his office he nurtured sick, hurt, and abandoned animals of all types. From him I learned how to care for wild animals. I have special memories of pretending to be a tree, with my arms and legs extended, and letting baby squirrels run all over me. I think I smiled the biggest I’ve ever smiled in my entire life during those times. Animals that became too domesticated and couldn’t be released into the wild were offered loving and safe accommodations at Mr. Pisani’s home. It was an honor for me, when I was finally old enough, that he asked me to take care of the animals when he went out of town. I reflect back on those years and realize what a special and loving man Mr. Pisani was and how lucky I was to have known him and learned from him.
When I moved to India I began volunteering with an animal rescue group and again was touched by the level of human compassion that is found in people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether it was the man who waited for hours for the mobile ambulance to arrive to care for a dog that had been attacked by a leopard, or the school children watching over the dog with an infected cat scratch, the love was evident. Here at the university the nuns and monks care for the street dogs. Brother Nam has built a dog house for the two juvenile dogs that he rescued last year, and gives them daily baths and meals. Many of the sisters take extra food to the six newborn puppies that live in the building materials holding area under a piece of sheet metal.
My experience with animals has shown me that most are timid and even frightened of us at first, and their actions and reactions stem from that fear. When I meet a new animal, I practice mediating with them like I did with Lucky all those years ago. Taking the time to soothe them and gently let them see I care and mean them no harm, they welcome my love and they return an abundance of deep appreciation to me. It’s an incredibly peaceful feeling to bond with an animal through silent breathing together, through meditation. When I do it, I feel a deep connection, a silent knowledge that we share more than just this planet together. Try it for yourself and see.
My fondness for animals began much before those days with the horses, and continues still. It started during my grade school years with visits to see Mr. Pisani at his market. In his office he nurtured sick, hurt, and abandoned animals of all types. From him I learned how to care for wild animals. I have special memories of pretending to be a tree, with my arms and legs extended, and letting baby squirrels run all over me. I think I smiled the biggest I’ve ever smiled in my entire life during those times. Animals that became too domesticated and couldn’t be released into the wild were offered loving and safe accommodations at Mr. Pisani’s home. It was an honor for me, when I was finally old enough, that he asked me to take care of the animals when he went out of town. I reflect back on those years and realize what a special and loving man Mr. Pisani was and how lucky I was to have known him and learned from him.
When I moved to India I began volunteering with an animal rescue group and again was touched by the level of human compassion that is found in people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether it was the man who waited for hours for the mobile ambulance to arrive to care for a dog that had been attacked by a leopard, or the school children watching over the dog with an infected cat scratch, the love was evident. Here at the university the nuns and monks care for the street dogs. Brother Nam has built a dog house for the two juvenile dogs that he rescued last year, and gives them daily baths and meals. Many of the sisters take extra food to the six newborn puppies that live in the building materials holding area under a piece of sheet metal.
My experience with animals has shown me that most are timid and even frightened of us at first, and their actions and reactions stem from that fear. When I meet a new animal, I practice mediating with them like I did with Lucky all those years ago. Taking the time to soothe them and gently let them see I care and mean them no harm, they welcome my love and they return an abundance of deep appreciation to me. It’s an incredibly peaceful feeling to bond with an animal through silent breathing together, through meditation. When I do it, I feel a deep connection, a silent knowledge that we share more than just this planet together. Try it for yourself and see.
Header art by T. Guzzio. Original photo via the author.
CONNECT WITH DIANTHA:
Diantha Gowens is a lover of people, animals, nature, and ice cream. She pursues happiness through mindfulness and blogs about her observations at www.DianthasMeditations.com. She believes life is a journey meant to be lived and traveled and can currently be found living in India surrounded by Vietnamese and Laotian Buddhist monastics.
ADD YOUR VOICE:
ABOUT COMMENTS:
At Prodigal's Chair, thoughtful, honest interaction with our readers is important to our site's success. That's why we use Disqus as our comment / moderation system. Yes, you will need to login to leave a comment - with either your existing Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ account - or you can create your own free Disqus account. We do this for a couple of reasons: 1) to discourage trolling, and 2) to discourage spamming. Please note that Disqus will never post anything to your social network accounts unless you authorize it to do so. Finally, if you prefer you can always email comments directly to us by clicking here.