It's all about the animals

In case I didn't make it completely clear in my very first post, it's all about the animals for me. This move my family is planning - the departure from city life to become country dwellers - is, for me, about living with the animals.

From the time I was small, I was always been a bit of a loner. I never had a clique, I didn't get into, or invited to, the bigger social gatherings, and I tended to maintain just a handful of close friends. I hated dolls and dresses and the all traditional "girl" stuff, choosing instead to obsess over animals - real and stuffed. My collection of fuzzy, stuffed, silent pals numbered over 200. (This was a frightening number, if you ask my mom. She will tell you about the time we realized all 200 had fleas due to a summer doggy flea infestation - ewwwww!! To me, of course, this was just proof that my so-called "stuffed" beasts were indeed quite real!)

My childhood was filled with living pets and critters of all kinds, too. They came to me both with and without parental permission. Dogs and cats and hamsters. A Shetland pony for a short time. A huge white rabbit named Marmaduke. An Alpine goat named Rodney and a black-faced lamb named Savannah. Even though it didn't dawn on me at the time - my world always felt so random - there was a very consistent, distinct pattern (and calling?) in my life.

And so...

Peace for me is when I am in the presence of animals. Their unconditional nature is a powerful thing. They just are - and they are fine with this. When I am near them, I feel healed and healthy. I feel productive and filled to the brim with thoughts and ideas and energy. When I am away, I plot and plan how to get close again.

This is what I'm doing from the kitchen table in my city home today, Sunday, November 11th, 12:42pm: plotting and planning.