Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2005. One weekend we took Mattie to Rockville, Maryland to have lunch at one of his favorite restaurants. This particular restaurant has a pond, fish, turtles, and a little bridge in front of it. When Mattie would get antsy inside the restaurant we would take him for a brief walk outside. That particular visit, I went with the notion of capturing a photo of Mattie for our Christmas card in front of the pond. As you can see Mattie looked wonderful in RED. He just gravitated to bold, bright, and happy colors. This charming photo was featured on the front cover of our Christmas 2005 card!
Quote of the day: Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. ~ Mark Twain
Last night I had the opportunity to watch an animal documentary with my parents. I love all sorts of animals and I believe this is the case because I grew up with cats and a dog in my life. Not to mention learning to ride horses. The documentary was interesting because scientists are studying the concept of FRIENDSHIP in non-human animals. Newsflash..... animals also make friends! That this bond is not just reserved for the human species. In a way I found this whole scientific debate that I was listening to absolutely crazy. Any one who has been a pet owner knows right away that animals are VERY capable of friendship, compassion, and showing love. In fact I would beg to say that they express these emotions better than humans at times. They do it freely without thinking, analyzing, and assessing the consequences.
Several animal examples were provided to the viewer illustrating that animals can become friends with each other, specifically animals across species such as a deer with a dog and my favorite example was that between a goat and a horse. I included a link below to the touching story of a decade long relationship between an "old" goat by the name of Jack and a "blind" horse by the name of Charlie. The notion of Jack and Charlie remain with me today, which is why I wanted to share it with you.
If you watch the video clip, you will see a woman with a green t-shirt talking to you. She is the owner and operator of a rescue farm for animals. Hearing about all the animals she has rescued is inspiring and she did a wonderful job describing two of her residents. Charlie was a very old horse, 40 years old to be exact. As he aged he lost his eye sight. The owner of the farm was thinking she would have to put Charlie to sleep, well that is until Jack came on the scene. Jack seemed to understand Charlie's limitations and without being trained in any way stepped up to the plate to help his friend Charlie. Jack acted like a seeing eye dog for Charlie. For over 10 years, where ever Charlie was, Jack was right beside him. EVERYWHERE!! In pastures, trails, under trees..... steadfast and loyal. They spent so much time together that Charlie naturally recognized the sound of Jack's hooves on the ground.
The owner went on to explain that Charlie benefited greatly from Jack's company and assistance. Meaning that without Jack, Charlie's life probably would have been terminated. However what surprised me is she said that Jack does this without getting anything in return. I was surprised by this because in my mind at the end of the day the greatest gift we give to ourselves in helping someone/thing out. Jack was needed, wanted, and had a purpose in life by caring for Charlie. I do not think that should be downplayed at ALL! In my opinion the relationship was symbiotic, which is the best kind of friendship. A friendship in which spending time with together nurtures in both directions. How thoroughly beautiful.
But the story gets even more poignant, and perhaps I honed into it because it focused on loss and grief. Some people may think animals don't grieve, but that is NOT true. I saw it with our cat Patches and our resident Jack Russell Terrier, JJ. Both grieved Mattie in their own ways. Since Charlie was an older horse, he eventually died. When he died, Jack (the faithful companion) was right by his side. The farm owner observed Jack's behavior while Charlie was dying and thereafter. At first she thought that Jack did not understand that Charlie died. But of course Jack got it, he knew his friend had died. The sad part is that Jack's grief impacted him so much that in a way he lost the will to live. The owner of the farm discussed the physiological and emotional reactions that are the by-product of grief. Or at least what she observed from Jack. The irony is whether we are talking about Jack or me, the reaction to the loss of someone near and dear to us is devastating. Needless to say, at times I felt just like Charlie in this story and at other times, I related completely with Jack! All I can say is as we approach this holiday season, may we all find or nurture a Jack and/or Charlie in our lives. The beneficial nature of friendship is well documented in the social science literature specifically as it relates to enhancing our health and happiness.
I hope I have intrigued you enough to check out the link below. Tomorrow, I will be continuing my writing on friendship with another real life animal story. This next story, which I entitle the Christmas Mule, was shared with me by one of the wonderful psycho-oncologists working with the Foundation. Mary Jo's story is so touching and illustrates the bond of friendship, the impact of grief, and how animals can unite a community. All of which illustrate the magic of Christmas.
Jack the Goat and Charlie the Horse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJjWwr-AjiQ
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