Quote:
Originally Posted by carterstamp
A friend of mine posted this on Facebook, and it rings so true I thought I'd share it with you.
People ask me, why do you have pets? Wouldn't your life be simpler without them? Maybe my life would be simpler, but it would not be better. In the short time pets are on this earth, they give lifetimes of unconditional love. It is that which makes my life better. It is the look in their eyes when I'm sad, or the head on my lap when I'm hurting. The antics when I desperately need a laugh, or just the knowlege that there is another living thing, another shared heartbeat, another soul sharing my life. That is why I have pets. Because they make my life, and ME better.
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Absolutely.
I grew up in an abusive household. My mother died when I was 10, leaving myself and my three siblings to be raised by a father we barely knew...he'd worked nightshift from the time most of us were small, and so we rarely saw him. He'd had a hard life himself, and unfortunately, we, as his children, bore the brunt of his anger and - most hurtful by far - his verbal, derogatory slurs. I'd always been a shy, introverted type, so living in such an environment was unbearable. Yet my one saving grace was animals. My mother had a cat, a beautiful old tom with soulful eyes and heart; and a few years before she passed away our family took on a dog - a small beagle mix who was smarter than a whip, and the most independent creature I'd ever known. For the rest of the family, Charlie was a respite in chaotic surroundings; but for me, he was my salvation. Charlie went everywhere with me, slept in my bed, kept me safe when I felt I was going crazy, and was inarguably the best friend I ever had. If ever I wanted to escape the stresses and anxiety that made up my day, all I had to do was tell Charlie we were going out, and he was five steps ahead of me, ready to go on an adventure. At night time when I couldn't sleep, when my mind couldn't seem to let go of every torment, Charlie was there...a soul to tell my secrets to, a pillow to hug, a warm body to absorb my tears.
Over the years I've had many many pets share my life, each one special, and each one always a source of comfort and companionship. Every one of them has also come with their own special gift of teaching, of being able to make me search inward and see myself, question some things, validate others...but over all, the one gift that every pet has ever brought with them into my life has been this: They have shown me that love of self is so important. In order to be able to love others, one must first love oneself...and that is one of the many things our pets guide us to see, if we are willing to listen to them.
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