Pay it Forward More!

Critters have been a big part of my life for most of my adult life. The joy of having animals in my life has always made the good times better and the bad times less bad.

Now that I am semi-retired, I am a dog owner, birdwatcher, nature lover and consummate tree hugger. My partner and I take part in the National Wildlife Federation’s program for wildlife habitat, and our property has been a “Certified Wildlife Habitat” for several years now, providing the four basic habitat elements needed for wildlife to thrive : food, water, cover, and safe places to raise young.

Because I care about wildlife and nature, I am a contributor to several organizations that are working to protect wildlife and our fragile eco-systems. Wanting to do more, I started brainstorming ideas that might benefit at least one of my charities.

A few months ago, my partner and I opened an online shop with Etsy. We have begun to have some success, so we started kicking around the idea of “why not a critter site”? After much thought and looking through my many animal related collectibles that I’ve collected for decades (yikes - - that’s starting to sound like a long time!), we decided that putting up a sale site that was geared towards our love of nature and all the critters that share this world with us was a good idea.

So in July, dead in the doldrums of summer, we set up the new online shop
www.CritterConnection.etsy.com and we are donating a portion of every sale to Defenders of Wildlife ( www.defenders.org ).

Hopefully this will be a successful enterprise, both for us clearing out a bit to allow for a more Zen lifestyle, and for “Defenders”, who are in the trenches daily defending that which we love so much - - all those things that are so easily taken for granted until they’re gone !

“Pay it forward” has been a credo we try and live by, this is just a little added effort that we hope will contribute towards making a difference.

For the Love of Animals

I have been around animals most of my adult life. When my kids were little there was the usual assortment of ducks and bunnies and hamsters - - which I quickly realized were not “living toys”, but living, feeling entities that became my responsibility to feed and care for and teach my children to respect and care for.

We had a wonderful nature center in the town where I raised my kids, and we used to spend hours there helping take care of the animals that were kept there (many of which had been injured and brought to them to “fix“.) As my kids grew, they learned a great respect for all living things, and they became true nature lovers; learning that the Hippocratic words“first of all, do no harm” could be applied to the footprints we all make as we journey through life.

I have had many dogs as an adult, one, two or three at a time, and horses were my passion for years. With each addition of a puppy or needy dog, or a horse we saved from the “killer traders” (horse meat was a prized commodity at the time in Europe, and horses going through auctions most of the time wound up as meat instead of a working or pleasure horse), I learned each animal brought with it it’s own needs and a lot of added work. Funny how light that work seemed, because there was a peace and balance to it that made even the feeding and grooming, exercising and cleaning, that having a 20 stall boarding stable entails easy.

Life changes, career paths change, venues change, loved ones scatter, and in the blink of an eye years are but memories. But in the best of those years and this year too, there is the love of animals in my life that brings a quiet corner of unconditional love and joy that reminds me of the words of Lao Tzu :

“I have just three things to teach
Simplicity, Patience, Compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
You return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
You accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
You reconcile all beings in the world.”

I was reminded of all this by watching my son. He was badly injured in an accident 2 years ago, and his rehabilitation has been slow and sporadic. Recently he bought a sheep (he’s always chosen the beat of his own drummer). After naming his sheep “Jack”, he started spending many hours out of doors daily talking to his new friend and building trust between them. He’s taught Jack to walk on a lead and they go to the park every day. Jack stands at the back fence “talking” and waiting for my son to come out at their appointed time.
Watching the bond build between them, and the honest pleasure they take in each other’s company is great. Greatest yet, is to see how much improvement has come about in my son’s attitude and rehab.. Animals, unconditional love and joy,
brought about simply, with patience and compassion.