The furry lil critters in the home of course. All it takes is for them to drop a toy at my feet, or follow me from room to room to remind me I am so important to them! How do I not stop and show the same with a lil snuggle or play time? 100% on pets being empathetic, before I knew I was sick, my usually limited cuddler would not leave my side. He knew before I did.
Now this may sound a bit out there…but something we all have…and something I rarely thought about…until my brilliant 21 year old nephew and I had a conversation about it…Trees. He was reading a book “ The Hidden Life Of Trees” about trees communicating , and feeling. He gifted me with this book, then tragically died shortly after. I try and walk daily, thru the neighborhood, parks, forest preserve wherever I can…and since that day…I am rarely looking down (other than to navigate) I’m looking up at the trees. It is the most cathartic, mindful , energizing part of my day.
And AZ….let me say….it was very smart of you to design, build that window at dog/belly height so those munchkins can enjoy the views of their amazing trees! 💚
Someday… if you wouldn’t mind… could you grab a shot of those trees from the ground up?? I’m guessing it’s pretty special
My dog Teddy is my soulmate. We love each other and, like Andrew described, she fills me with gratitude and love. Sometimes when I get home from work I can see her little GoldenDoodle button eyes looking at me through the door window. It reminds me of all the good things dogs give us.
When I was a kid my dad was a typical 1960s dad. Not a lot of love bombing but every time I'd ride in the car with him, he would, during quiet moments, always reach out to me and pretend to pinch my check with his hairy Italian man knuckles. It was such a fleeting touch but I remember it and him any time I have a quiet moment to do the same to my 23 year old daughter.
Lastly, I take the brilliant voice of Joseph Calleja, the Maltese Tenor for granted. If you ever need a pick-me-up just YouTube Joseph singing Nessun Dorma. Stay till the end and you'll see the most genuine smile of a great opera singer to ever be committed to video. It lights up my world. Check it out...you don't have to be an opera buff. Just take in that incredible moment in human brilliance, passion, and love for what people can do.
OMG what a great photo. Thank you for giving a shout out to your "other family member.) I happen to work for the Humane Society and this warms my heart. I was just laying next to my cats last night on the couch, thanking them for being my constant source of joy. I've had a rough year, and they comfort me....always. I used to take good health for granted until I had back surgery two years ago.
I take music for granted. It is what I turned to during a tumultuous childhood, adolescence, and being a soldier on the East/West German border. I never got to take guitar lessons as a kid, so I have been for the last few years.
There are days when I don’t have time to listen or play, I feel less whole. During the pandemic there were no live shows. That was when I realized I had taken those shows for granted. The last live music I saw prepandemic was Bob Seger in Chicago, a last minute trip with my adult son.
This year live music has come back. And I am never missing a show again. I have seen Steve Earle, and Colin Hay this year. With several more on horizon in the second half of the year.
I try not too, yet perhaps we're all guilty of it at one point or another... Friends, family and chance encounters with interesting strangers... otherwise it would be my daily 40 minute round trip cruise along Lake Michigan for some solitude and serenity to reflect on the day's happenings, how it may impact social culture, climate, politics, etc... I find a great importance to ponder global issues, not to solve, yet to anticipate and prepare for whatever hand we're dealt next...???
1. People who work in the service industry in any capacity. They take an incredible amount of abuse and disrespect from our increasingly jerk-filled society, and I try to thank each of them for the things that they do. Remember to tip well, they work very hard for you.
2. My wife, kids, and close friends. "We always hurt the ones we love" is a cliche for a reason.
3. No matter how bad I feel physically, no matter how many aches and pains, I try to remember that there's always someone else who is much worse off. My wife survived several challenging illnesses, and she reminds me of this constantly.
4. Our pets. For all the work and money we invest in them, they always give more than they receive. I can't imagine not having a couple of dogs and many cats.
5. Quiet time alone. It doesn't happen very often, so when it does it is rejuvenating. I try to wake up at least an hour or two before the rest of the house on the weekends.
Animals have taught me much about how to live - our cats especially, but also all the wild animals I see when I hunt. We think we're so smart for creating a world that has turned us into stressed-out, dependent zoo animals, but all you have to do is watch them for 10 minutes to see we're not as smart as we think.
I try to no longer take for granted my quiet morning routines - getting up with the cats, stretching, making coffee, scritching kitties in their favorite spots, reading the NYT while the sun comes up. I'm grateful for all those moments.
Cats have also taught me about the importance of affection, patience and the duty of every human and cat in our household to make each other laugh. I try to remember that if they deserve affection and patience in the face of small irritations, so does my boyfriend. Funny how we expect so much more of our human companions than we do of our pets, when we are all just animals.
The furry lil critters in the home of course. All it takes is for them to drop a toy at my feet, or follow me from room to room to remind me I am so important to them! How do I not stop and show the same with a lil snuggle or play time? 100% on pets being empathetic, before I knew I was sick, my usually limited cuddler would not leave my side. He knew before I did.
Now this may sound a bit out there…but something we all have…and something I rarely thought about…until my brilliant 21 year old nephew and I had a conversation about it…Trees. He was reading a book “ The Hidden Life Of Trees” about trees communicating , and feeling. He gifted me with this book, then tragically died shortly after. I try and walk daily, thru the neighborhood, parks, forest preserve wherever I can…and since that day…I am rarely looking down (other than to navigate) I’m looking up at the trees. It is the most cathartic, mindful , energizing part of my day.
And AZ….let me say….it was very smart of you to design, build that window at dog/belly height so those munchkins can enjoy the views of their amazing trees! 💚
Someday… if you wouldn’t mind… could you grab a shot of those trees from the ground up?? I’m guessing it’s pretty special
My dog Teddy is my soulmate. We love each other and, like Andrew described, she fills me with gratitude and love. Sometimes when I get home from work I can see her little GoldenDoodle button eyes looking at me through the door window. It reminds me of all the good things dogs give us.
When I was a kid my dad was a typical 1960s dad. Not a lot of love bombing but every time I'd ride in the car with him, he would, during quiet moments, always reach out to me and pretend to pinch my check with his hairy Italian man knuckles. It was such a fleeting touch but I remember it and him any time I have a quiet moment to do the same to my 23 year old daughter.
Lastly, I take the brilliant voice of Joseph Calleja, the Maltese Tenor for granted. If you ever need a pick-me-up just YouTube Joseph singing Nessun Dorma. Stay till the end and you'll see the most genuine smile of a great opera singer to ever be committed to video. It lights up my world. Check it out...you don't have to be an opera buff. Just take in that incredible moment in human brilliance, passion, and love for what people can do.
OMG what a great photo. Thank you for giving a shout out to your "other family member.) I happen to work for the Humane Society and this warms my heart. I was just laying next to my cats last night on the couch, thanking them for being my constant source of joy. I've had a rough year, and they comfort me....always. I used to take good health for granted until I had back surgery two years ago.
I take music for granted. It is what I turned to during a tumultuous childhood, adolescence, and being a soldier on the East/West German border. I never got to take guitar lessons as a kid, so I have been for the last few years.
There are days when I don’t have time to listen or play, I feel less whole. During the pandemic there were no live shows. That was when I realized I had taken those shows for granted. The last live music I saw prepandemic was Bob Seger in Chicago, a last minute trip with my adult son.
This year live music has come back. And I am never missing a show again. I have seen Steve Earle, and Colin Hay this year. With several more on horizon in the second half of the year.
I try not too, yet perhaps we're all guilty of it at one point or another... Friends, family and chance encounters with interesting strangers... otherwise it would be my daily 40 minute round trip cruise along Lake Michigan for some solitude and serenity to reflect on the day's happenings, how it may impact social culture, climate, politics, etc... I find a great importance to ponder global issues, not to solve, yet to anticipate and prepare for whatever hand we're dealt next...???
1. People who work in the service industry in any capacity. They take an incredible amount of abuse and disrespect from our increasingly jerk-filled society, and I try to thank each of them for the things that they do. Remember to tip well, they work very hard for you.
2. My wife, kids, and close friends. "We always hurt the ones we love" is a cliche for a reason.
3. No matter how bad I feel physically, no matter how many aches and pains, I try to remember that there's always someone else who is much worse off. My wife survived several challenging illnesses, and she reminds me of this constantly.
4. Our pets. For all the work and money we invest in them, they always give more than they receive. I can't imagine not having a couple of dogs and many cats.
5. Quiet time alone. It doesn't happen very often, so when it does it is rejuvenating. I try to wake up at least an hour or two before the rest of the house on the weekends.
Animals have taught me much about how to live - our cats especially, but also all the wild animals I see when I hunt. We think we're so smart for creating a world that has turned us into stressed-out, dependent zoo animals, but all you have to do is watch them for 10 minutes to see we're not as smart as we think.
I try to no longer take for granted my quiet morning routines - getting up with the cats, stretching, making coffee, scritching kitties in their favorite spots, reading the NYT while the sun comes up. I'm grateful for all those moments.
Cats have also taught me about the importance of affection, patience and the duty of every human and cat in our household to make each other laugh. I try to remember that if they deserve affection and patience in the face of small irritations, so does my boyfriend. Funny how we expect so much more of our human companions than we do of our pets, when we are all just animals.