Animals as teachers: Lessons of gratitude from a beloved pet

As a caring pet owner, you will have experienced the close bond that is formed between you and your animal companion. You will have experienced your pet’s lessons of

• unconditional love
• non-judgment
• living in the present moment

But your pet’s lessons go much further than that. Each animal has unique qualities that you can not only appreciate but also learn from. Let me give you an example:

Minnie’s arrival

My cat Minnie is a wonderful kitty who came to us one morning in October, 2011. My husband and I were getting ready to go out for the day. It was very early and still dark outside. As we pass by our garage, we hear a desperate meow and see a cat sitting there. She is very skinny and obviously starving. As I approach her, she doesn’t get afraid but stays where she is and lets me pick her up. I would not normally try and pick up a cat I do not know, but I reacted intuitively and sensed that this cat was a special case. She was in very bad shape, and we were clearly her last chance for survival.

As I pick her up, I discover that she weighs almost nothing. I carry her inside, and she does not resist at all, but relaxes in my arms.

Setting boundaries to create peace

She feels at home right away and decides to ‘carve out’ her place among the other four cats. Whenever one of the others come too close, she hisses. Despite her frequent hissing in the beginning, integration with the other cats goes surprisingly well, mainly because of her unique ability to mix inner peace with a fierce standing up for herself when called for. Actually, her ability to stand up for herself and set boundaries is an important lesson she has to teach, and an example that I believe many of us could learn from.

Beaming gratitude

One of Minnie’s most amazing qualities is her almost constant display of gratitude. Ever since she found us and we rescued her that morning, her gratitude towards us has been infinite. She not only shows us gratitude, she literally beams joy and gratitude much of the time. That is the best way I can explain it, although this quality of Minnie’s has proved to be elusive to capture on film.

When we go to sleep at night, she comes up, lies on my chest with her face no more than a few inches away from mine – and then she looks at me with half-closed eyes and purrs for a long time.

And when she is outside in the garden under supervision (usually with harness and leash), she pauses regularly, throws back her head and looks up at us, beaming joy and gratitude.

We feel blessed by her infinite and constant display of gratitude, and she teaches us to look into ourselves, and to investigate in what areas of our lives we need to feel more appreciation and show more gratitude. It is so easy to take things, people, pets, our lives, for granted. We take Minnie’s lessons to heart and are grateful for being blessed with having Minnie in our lives.

There is much more to tell about Minnie, but that will have to wait until another time. For now, let us (and Minnie) help you to take your next step in discovering and embracing your own beloved animal companion as a teacher.

“Let the light and joy in me connect you with the light and joy within yourself. It is actually quite simple. Deep gratitude combined with joy makes you shine. Your soul reveals its true essence – timeless bliss.” ~ Minnie

Your next step

Looking at what lessons your pet has for you is a powerful exercise that you can use both when your pet is alive and after your pet is gone. After the loss of your beloved animal companion, diving into the subject of what lessons you have learned  – and are still learning – from your pet, can be very rewarding and healing. Embracing those lessons from your pet can help you move more easily through your grief after the loss and enable you to reach a place of peace, gratitude and inspiration.

What lessons have your learned from your pet?

Please share your answer in the comments section below.

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