The place of animal rescue in life | Artful Balance

Raising and rescuing animals is not always easy. I don't always know if I can do it.

Not each moment is fun with a new pet or rescue animal. I had two days last week when I was so fed up with my rescue pup. Last night my pet dog jumped on me while I was drinking a cocktail and it really annoyed the hell out of me. I actually disliked my pet rabbit for two months before we started getting along. Sometimes I don't want to get up from what I'm doing or my rest to meet my animals' needs.

But it is still very much worth it. If nothing else, caring for animals has taught me one invaluable perspective: Life becomes easily when you prioritize priorities.

In other words, I reduce resistance and resentment in my life when my comfort is no longer regarded as important. Yes, I would like to finish this episode of Sex and the City, but it's not as important to building the future I want as is answering to responsibility when it calls.

And the more I answer that call, the more I contribute to a world of my liking. I am rewarded every time I get to step outside and see that I live somewhere that, though imperfectly, does love and cherish pets. The fact that this is now normal is a victory partially of my making and of the making of each individual who practices and condones it.

Choice by choice, I shape culture and society to reflect my deepest values.

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Artful Balance © 2019

These are my personal writings curated from material produced during my structured daily writing times as well as spontaneous thoughts I manage to record. Through organizing and uploading them i hope to learn about who I am as a voice and writer and find ways to improve my writing skills. Though I feel drawn to more cerebral topics, I would like my writing to be an engaging emotional journey none the less.

Someday I hope I figure out a way to assemble my short works into something more coherent and with a more obvious purpose. But right now, these tidbits are the best I can do.