I often struggle with being a person. I don't mean by this that I am unhappy with my life, just that I find it easier to relate to animals. They are who I turn to when I feel low and need comfort. My life experiences have shown me people are not there when I need them. It doesn't matter what my 'lowness' is caused by, but those feelings of sadness, loneliness, abandonment are real at that point in time.
I have experienced several incidents of social alienation/exclusion. How does one live life with love and joy at times like this? May be you're not meant to! Perhaps it is a time of self revelation, self reflection and possible growth. I guess you have to start by figuring out why the exclusion. While it may be a simple reason, the most likely reason will be a reflection of your behaviour.
This may or may not be a fair response. Your behaviour may not have been intended the way it was received. How often have you been made aware of miscommunication? Or of things said/done in the heat of the moment.
As the one excluded you will most likely bring up emotions such as sadness and anger. These can cloud the picture and need to be processed before restorative or healing can take place - or alongside the healing. This is where our animal friends can come in. If a person feels alienated from other people, who better than an animal to turn to for comfort. Their open displays of unconditional, non-judgemental love can be of enormous comfort. They can help you heal. Help you process. Help you understand what is going on. Or just be there while you put things on hold.
I know my animal friends have offered me undeniable, unquantifiable support at all stages of my life. They are there for a brief moment or an entire day/week/month/year ... They don't judge me. They don't question me. They do at times ask me not to hold them quite as tight! They not only allow but encourage release of feelings (tears) which are always better out than in.
For this I will be eternally grateful and sincerely hope that in some life time I can give back to them all.
Your animal family will always be there for you. And I believe you give back to them every minute of every day, by being the person that you are, and being true to yourself. Animals dont understand/see when we try to pretend to be someone we're not. They see us for who we truly are inside. And that's why they are there for you. Because they truly love the person you really are.
ReplyDeleteLife can often throw us challenges which can be roadblocks along our path. However the lifetime friends we make along the way (whether animals or people) together with the journey make us who we are, and often better people for it. Your wonderful animal companions/friends love you for you. Understand that you are blessed as most people never experience the unconditional love of an animal regardless of how many lifetimes they live.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, and completely spot on. I cannot envisage a life/family without animals in it, they are a comfort, a steadying responsibility, a joy, and they never spill your secrets!
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