More Then A Pet

I wanted to take some time and reflect on how I'm doing with my loss processing for this blog. So, here we go.

A friend told me

A good friend sent a message recently, and commented on how they enjoyed this blog. Specifically they said they appreciated my openness and honesty with how I discussed my grieving process, and put everything out there. They also said something to the effect that pets are more then "just" pets. This is what I wanted to discuss today.

Pets are our friends, and more

I can attest to the truth of the words that pets are more then just pets. My experience with my buddy, the Christed Buddha taught me how much a part of ones life a "pet" can be. If we take this situation and just look at it from an objective perspective, we can see that these precious friends that we allow into our homes, care for daily, and take up space on our beds, couches, or chairs, end up attaching themselves to our hearts, our consciousness, our very being. They also take up time and space in our daily lives. For example, I had a routine that I used to practice daily of getting up, and giving Buddha his breakfast to get my day off to a start. I also had other responsibilities that ingrained the idea of the Buddha being in my life for some time. These included changing the litter when needed, going to the pet store for food, picking up his medication at the vet, etc. All of these little routines added up to one big impact on my life, in the form of unconditional love, and appreciation from my buddy. I could even go out on a limb and say that we had an ideal arrangement for both of us. I cared for him, and he supported me, in more ways then I can say here.

It's OK to love your pet

I can also say that it's ok to feel a love, dare I say even an affection, for our furry family members. As I have discussed in another blog, in this day and age, it's time for males to feel ok with showing their emotions, and this includes showing the affection for a beloved furry family member. It doesn't matter what it is. Even if it doesn't have fur, that's ok to. These amazing creatures have come into our lives for a specific reason, and to help comfort us in times of need. As a veteran, I can even say that my buddy helped me through quite a few intense times that I experienced being in a civilian focused world. For me, the bottom line is that pets, it seems, teach us humans to have an open heart, and sow us how loving unconditionally can feel.

Not what I thought would happen

If you would have known me when I first rescued the Christed Buddha, you would not have thought that we would have been able to get so intertwined into each others lives, but it happened. I didn't even think to myself at the time that we would get this close. In fact, I had never had a cat for as long as I had the Buddha. I had other cats in the past, but I was never one for staying in one place for to long. So, my "gypsy" life style wasn't conducive to that of keeping and caring for a cat for an extended period of time. However, looking back on the time that we were together, today, I can say that it went by WAY to fast. 😭

Open your heart, your pet is waiting

So, if you have a pet, and you enjoy their company, make it a point to open your heart fully to allowing them be who they are truly meant to be with you. Do your best to not judge them by the limited ideas that society try and program us with. Just accept them for who they are, in this moment, and I can guarantee that your buddy, no matter what they look like, will find ways to touch your heart like you never thought possible.

Again, this is not the direction I thought this blog would go, but I appreciate your support, and would love more comments that help me to continue to develop it.

I will leave you with this quote today. “What greater gift than the love of a cat.”
― Charles Dickens

Until next time,

D