What I Know For Sure

When you are young, you see the world in black and white.

You say things like “I would never….” or “I will always…”.  As you get older, life becomes peppered with more shades of grey.  Your ‘nevers’ turn into ‘maybes’ and your ‘always’ turns into ‘sometimes’. All the things you used to know for sure become uncertain.

The dreams and ambitions of youth begin to lose their meaning. Other things become more important, like love and family.  You no longer need a thousand people to tell you they love you before you believe it. The love of one good person is enough.  You realise that being kind may not be trendy, but is the best way to survive in a cruel world.

I have been wondering about what it is that I know for certain.  I no longer have the reckless confidence of youth.  I don’t believe that I have exclusive rights to correct opinions in the world.  Half the time, I am completely confused about my own beliefs and values.

But this is what I do know to the core of my being:

Being good to the animals that share our world is one of our most important responsibilities.

I’m not religious, but I think caring for an animal is a spiritual experience.  I’ve been given the gift and privilege of the companionship of animals. I don’t think there is anything more healing or more pure.