Science is now studying Happiness and Compassion...

Ah, science has finally gotten round to studying human happiness and compassion. This is happening apparently in Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and bascially came about from the Dalai Lama.

The more I read about the article (see here ) the more I thought about how much you can learn about happiness and compassion from animals.

The article cites, "This weekend, the Dalai Lama will mark the opening of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the university's Waisman Center, where more than a dozen researchers will study the science behind positive qualities of mind. Davidson said the center will be the only one in the world with a meditation room next to a brain imaging laboratory.
Davidson's research has used brain imaging technology on Buddhist monks and other veteran practitioners of meditation to try to learn how their training affects mental health.
His team's findings suggest meditation and other "contemplative practices" can improve compassion, empathy, kindness and attention. They support the concept that even adult brains can change through experience and learning."

Well, this then led me to think that perhaps they should note that some of the best teachers of happiness and compassion are our animal friends. We all ooh and aah over the stories of orphan animals being adopted by a mother of another species (as shown by the pictures above), that is compassion and unconditional love that knows no boundaries.  And animals tend to be in the moment of happiness, I would guess, better than 80% of the time. Or at least content, and when you're content, you are happy, safe, and loved.

We can learn a lot from the Dalai Lama, who is probably tops on my list of people I truly admire, he represents what it is truly like to live life with total compassion and he is a very wise man. However we can also continue to learn from the animals about loving and living in the moment, slowing down to enjoy the moment, never worrying about what's ahead, and when the moment warrants it, uncoditional love and compassion. I know the animals in my life do their best to remind me of it. And yes we do need constant reminders, and we need to have the self discipline to slow down and focus on our inner selves, and realize what is truly importants for our happiness and well being, and of those around us.


I believe there is a sentiment about this in a great history book, "And the meek shall inherit the earth".  And I believe I like this definition best of Meek: patient and mild; not inclined to anger or resentment, and it used to mean, Gentle or Kind. I would think that we are definitely out-populated by our animal friends we share this wonderful world with. Isn't it time we showed a little compassion, love, and kindness for our teachers?

Quirks of our elderly pets

Life with an elderly pet is never boring. There are many pros and cons with them, fortunately the pros are the ones that make the memories worthwhile. Currently I have 2 twilighters, my little male chihuahua, Lil'Shit is now 14 and Mushy the cat, is 18 coming on 19 now. To some that may not seem very old, but for them, they've had a full life. And Lil'Shit has had some very rough patches in his life for such a small dog. Either way, anyone who loves and has shared their lives with an animal, know when they reach their last year or two of life. They go through distinct changes and not all of them are easy for us to deal with.

Lil'Shit I believe is going deaf, and is going blind. I know he can hear only sharp whistles and noises, and probably only see shadows or shapes, which would account for his dogging our steps everywhere, and standing close to our feet. It makes moving around in the house and especially the kitchen hazardous for us and him. We keep tripping over him. And heaven forbid we go into a part of the house where he can't see or sense us, he'll whine and cry till we come back to him. And he cannot bear to be outside for long, he'll go right out and do his business then want right back in. His food preferences change about every other day. One day, he'll love his food, then maybe for supper he decides he'll want one of the girls' supper instead of his. These are trivial things, what is most wonderful and warms the heart is to see him so ecstatically happy when one of us comes home, and the adoration in his looks he gives us, brings us back to how much we do love him. And how much he relies on us.

Mushy..... Oh Mushy.... Silly old man. He plays and runs and chases dust motes like a kitten. But unlike a dog, cats when they head into their last year(s) get very very vocal. And they will talk or sing at any time day or night. I am constantly amazed and the variety of different tones and sounds from him. And as the months go on, he gets more and more vocal and louder. He is also prefers to always be around me, and has become very possessive. Mushy is my boy, I have had him since he was a small lump of flea bitten fur at 4 weeks of age (someone dumped him). I raised him on goat's milk and honey, and we've been very bonded since. He is usually very impatient with my morning routine, and will sit and talk to me while I am in the shower, and will talk to me the entire time I am getting ready. Then he will walk downstairs with me for his breakfast. He is in excellent health, and as is the case with our senior pets, is thin and is always hungry it seems. He absolutely loves drinking water from my glass as long as it has ice in it.  He has become very loving cuddling and loves to purr when laying on me. He is always either in my lap, on my chest, or cuddled next to me in bed, I never have to reach far to find him, and making contact brings on the purrs, which really are calming and healing.

I try spoil them as I can. I do my best to provide them the best natural diet I can, which shows I am doing it right by their coats, and the fact that they are so healthy and haven't needed a vet in years. I give them both Ttouch daily and they repay it with love. Although like any senior, they have parts that don't work as reliably as they once did, like balance, jumping up to the sofa, wash themselves, or back leg coordination.

So I make sure to cherish them every moment, and when it's their time to pass to the bridge they will be sorely missed, for they did bring alot of light, love and joy into our lives. And I just couldn't have imagined a life without either of them.