Sunday, November 14, 2010

Monday Meanderings....

Am having great fun blogging....I did not know how much I would enjoy doing this!! Thank you Deepak for constantly egging me on to blog!!

Today I will talk about my love for animals, a love that was never discouraged by my parents. As a child I was fascinated by animals...I remember chasing butterflies, especially the yellow and the tiny blue silver ones, catching them, feeling them and studying them. And dragonflies, how I loved to catch them and tie a string on their entrails and fly them like kites!! Today, I cringe at the thought of the unintentional cruelties I perpetrated on these poor creatures...

At school, we had a small rock grotto, which was always overflowing with all kinds of snails and slugs..I would pick up the snails, just to see them get into their mobile homes at the first sign of danger, and slowly ease out when they thought it was safe! And, I can't get over the number of strays I would be always be feeding, caring for injured birds...even babysitting rabbits, parrots, dogs, whose owners wanted to go on a holiday! In all that time, my parents never threw a fit at what was obviously, a pestilential habit!!!!

When I decided to marry, I made sure my dog Caesar came along with me to my marital home...that was one of my conditions of marriage!!!! My orthodox in-laws not only accepted this but themselves got to love Caesu so much, that soon he became their pet, rather than mine!!! And he became totally vegetarian...after being a carniverous soul most of his existence!! My husband still jocularly grumbles about how my father gave him a dog as dowry!!!

Thankfully, my husband and daughter have inherited my love for animals. I have had a succession of dogs, now a number of stray cats, who have adopted my home as theirs. My family's support has been invaluable as that of my beloved domestic help, who never complain of these additions!!!

I consider myself lucky to know what animals feel like to the touch, to experience their love, their unconditional acceptance of us and our foibles, of the de-stressing they provide in a life that is so fast paced as to be killing. I hate it when people ill treat strays or abandon their pets when they are old and sick. As a family, it has been a rare holiday that we may gone together, because we cannot leave our animal children unattended or at the mercy of strangers.

I am often asked, that how can I keep another pet after I have lost one of them. My answer is ....I cherish every moment of their existence and accept that the joy they bring into my life as priceless. I consider myself blessed to have had the privilege of their lifetimes in my life. And I feel sad that so many, many people and children don't have a clue of the experience of knowing what another species of God's creatures feel like.

4 comments:

  1. absolutely! having a pet is a blessing!

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  2. thanks deepak! always a pleasure to see you here!

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  3. Prem..Love's thy name.. We are birds of same feather.. thus we flock together..:))
    The butterflies and dragonflies..have left their feel on my palms..the secret joy of giving away half an ice cream to restless paws and wagging tails cannot be described in words. Imagine the elation upon having a bird perch on the shoulder.. and greeting a shy pet just out of a stylish hair cut at a salon.. Having four gentle paws follow you home and feathered friends arriving from nearby shelters to walk around on the terrace as you go about tending to the plants..With the amount of love they bestow upon us.. we are never parched or lonely. God bless them for being around..

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  4. moush....yes indeed, we are birds of a feather....and of course, there no substitute for that indescribable joy....that is the love of animals.

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