Plants, Pets and Prayers - II

Part II-Pets

Dogs, cats, parrots, goldfish etc., are more than just animals to pet lovers. One can love them with an unmatched abandon, and with no expectations. It’s an unconditional pact of unalloyed devotion.

I haven’t really had any. But I have shared and helped to care for the family’s canine cuddles, who in the process of being cosseted and cared for, probably forgot the canine part of their selves. They were more humane than us, with high spiritual quotients and I can absolutely say that they did indeed lead us up the path of Nirvana. However, their touchingly short lives cut short our travels and we fell back on our more slovenly human ways of crying, weeping, mourning our loss, promising ourselves never to fall for pets and of course learning nothing from them.

Today, I am caught between pet lovers and have become more of a courier. One dog owner friend gives me a packet to give to another dog owner friend. Packet lies on my desk. I never felt I had to hide it until I had another colleague saunter by for a visit.
“My, my, I did not know you have fallen into such bad times—Dog biscuits? Have we touched rock bottom?”
“Dog biscuits are pretty expensive”, I growled.
“Ah, so we are so rich now that we have been elevated to an elite canine class? Oh well, every dog has his day—you have a good one.”
I bare teeth and hide the packet.

Another day it was de-worming tablet that had to be couriered from the same dog owner to the other. The less I say about it the better as it was a day filled with sniggers, snide snarls, and speculations regarding my alimentary system.

One thing I learned is that pets help us focus on what really matters. The morning walks matter. Meal times matter. Good grooming matters. Loyalty matters. Taking care of yourself matters and who better to learn this from than a cat? Watch it purring and preening itself and you will know the importance of putting yourself at the centre of things.

Pets help you relax. Watching the fish swim in the tank is de-stressing. Don’t think of the gold fish bowl as restrictive and monotonous, like a friend who felt they would like to see the rain.
“I just thought that the Fighting Siamese Fish would like to enjoy the rain drops.”
"Well, did they?”
“Yes, until a crow came from nowhere and swooped them away.”

So let them swim in their bowl, even if you think (like the friend who wanted her fish to enjoy the rain) that the Black Mollies are dumb enough to get entangled in the algae. I personally think that we are all fish in a big goldfish bowl and like the Black Mollies get entangled in nonsense. I also feel that somewhere someone is watching us and hopefully watching over us. Of course, whether we are helping our watcher de-stress would be a matter of debate altogether.

Irrespective of what happened yesterday, pets will pull you out of bed, greet the new day with a style, welcome the flowers that bloomed overnight and help you get about your daily routine with a purpose. There is none of yesterday’s baggage in today’s agenda for them. Pets teach you to actually care without expecting, love with undying loyalty, and live with a sense of wonder. Pets teach you to take things a step at a time—a sure path to Nirvana.