I received a lovely box from my oldest son today. He recently returned from China and didn’t get to call me on my birthday, so he sent me a box which arrived here today. In the box were a number of wonderful surprises including some jasmine tea flowers, some biscuits an ornate comb and a cartoon. The cartoon is the one that I included for you to read. Funny Huh? On the flip side of the cartoon, was a quote by Samuel Butler- “All animals except man know that the ultimate of life is to enjoy it.” I think this is true. Certainly Max and Beeker know it. JesseJames is swimming daily in an Idaho lake, so he knows it. Chez has been putting a tennis ball on my bed lately so he knows it. My animal hero, Temple Grandin says that animals live in the present moment, so that means they are not lamenting because of something that happened yesterday or longing because of something tomorrow. They are thinking about what they can do right this minute and how they can have enjoyment out of it. Beeker is constantly (if I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times) looking for someone or something to play with. He really enjoys everything he does. Even sleeping.
We can take a lesson from our animal compatriots. You’ve heard “Be happy don’t worry”. Or “Don’t sweat the small stuff”. “See the glass half full instead of half empty”. Yeah, we have adult responsibilities and we have timelines and everybody wants a piece of us. But… What about the in between times? What about the moment we wake up? What about all of the celebrating we don’t remember to do? Have you seen the commercial where a group is celebrating being left handed? What would happen if I started celebrating the small stuff? Like that professor I had said, “Everything in life is an opportunity”. It’s an opportunity to enjoy this life and not get dragged down by it. I sometimes get to feeling so worn out by all of the “Don’t Haves”. I don’t have enough time, money, health, patience, etc…you know. It was a secret gift to get this quote (he probably didn’t even know it was on the flip side of the cartoon), and a gift to know that I have the opportunity to look at life in a different way. In the present and enjoy each thing I do, really ENJOY it. It’s just want I’m going to do right now, today, I’m celebrating with Brad. We are celebrating our anniversary and we will really enjoy our time together, now and in the future. With our furry animal friends showing us the way.
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