A Seamless Connection
The other day I had spent the morning writing, creating and posting on social media. The second I finished, I shut the computer down, called to my senior dog Max, and we went outside to enjoy a rambling stroll.
It was bliss, a wonderful walk, perfect in every way! Sunny and warm with a gentle breeze, the ornamental trees around the apartment complex were in full bloom with their gentle fragrance floating in the breeze. I was listening to a new playlist called Walk The Dog and every few steps Max was stopping to smell the air.
The connection between Max and me was seamless yet we were both taking in the walk through our own senses, in our own time, in our own way.
Rarely are our walks that blissful. Enjoyable, yes. Beneficial, yes. But rarely do our walks reach that level of serenity.
I couldn’t help but wonder why this walk was so different and then I realized in everyday life with our animal pals we tend to take things for granted, often misconstruing a situation because we’re looking at it through our human lens. Upon examination, we realize that the human lens doesn’t necessarily express our values, but those embedded in us from a society and culture that largely believe animals are to be owned and dominated by humans.
When we remove that human lens, we often witness our animal pal following their own wisdom and their inborn ways of expression in a totally innate, organic way. How does it get better than that?
I know you want nothing more than to do what’s best for your animal pal and to be free of behaviors that are imposed upon you from a society who mostly views animals as second class citizens.
How do we remove the human lens? We begin by:
**Remembering animals are the custodians of their own lives
**Recognizing animals have their own individual, unique experiences that stand on their own without the need of human validation
**Beginning the move from an ownership mindset to one of true kinship
Next time you’re with your animal pal pay attention to your connection. Is it seamless or are there bumpy, uncomfortable moments? Learn to recognize and apppreciate those shared moments when each of you is communing with the world in your own way and having your own experience, where verification from the other being is not needed. If you care to tell me about your seamless experience, simply leave a comment. I’d love to hear about it!
Janet Roper is an animist, elder and communicator and for 20+ years has helped people restructure their relationship with animals. Two of her most popular resources are her monthly newsletter and her 5 email introductory series to her signature program Deepen.
