Together

Like most everyone else, I've been horrified by the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf. This is a catastrophe on many levels, but the saddest visible effect has been the images of oil overtaking the region's fragile ecosystem. As humans, we alone among all species on the planet have the power to create, and we use that gift to do amazing things. Sometimes, however, we get so busy creating we forget to slow down and consider the power of what we do. Obviously the human impact of this crisis is immense, and I don't want to discount that in any way. But, part of the human impact IS the impact this and other environmental accidents have on the animal and plant kingdoms. We are all tied tenuously together on this rather small planet, and perhaps our greatest responsibility as the "most advanced" species is to be careful stewards of those who depend on us.

We often get fooled into thinking that we have power over the plants and animals and therefore can do whatever we wish, since obviously we know better than they do. What we forget is that even the smallest life thinks and feels, and has a contribution to make. Look at the honey bee, which is facing drastic population decline and potential extinction. Without bees, a critical link in our food chain, our entire ecosystem even, disappears. We can also bring mindful stewardship to our own homes in how we care for our pets. When we consider their perspective, consider their quality of life, our bond with them increases and both of our lives improve. Anyone with a frustrated or lonely dog who is busily destroying their house knows well the dangers of an unhappy dog trying to express itself or "self comfort"! When we choose to bring animals into our human families, we do need to consider their feelings, and their needs. Dogs and cats are not people. They do not have the same perspective on things that humans do, and it's important to take the time to understand how your pet thinks so that you can help it to cope with our busy human world. There are many great books on this now, and people like Cesar Millan are slowly bringing this concept more into the mainstream. Still, there is lingering resistance to the idea that our animals think or feel at all. I find this remarkable since most any pet owner will tell you how clever their pet is, and the amazing way the animal seems to know what their owner is thinking, or vice versa. Still, animals having thoughts and feelings gets us into a realm many people are vaguely uncomfortable with. When a new client comes to me to help them communicate with their animal and expresses doubts or feelings of "I want to believe in this, but I can't til I see it happen", I let them know that it is totally okay and reasonable to question everything - actively communicating with our pets is not, at this point in time, something most of us do consciously everyday. Part of the goal of a session is for the pet's human and I to work together to build trust between us so that we can both be open to what the animal is telling us.

My hope in helping people to build a stronger bond with their animals, and thereby the planet around them, is that we stay open minded to possibility and consider the full impact of each choice we make. It does make a difference, one small step at a time.