Where the Animals Live

I like to be near the animals – the farm animals.

Maybe it’s a memory of an earlier, quieter, idyllic time. Perhaps it’s not a memory, but a longing for that time.

The animals are so direct. It seems like they present themselves totally, nothing hidden. The sheep and lambs just ask you to feel their wool – deep, curly wool, that you you can sink your hands into. Once one starts “baa’ing,” the others start too, and soon everyone of them is “baa’ing.”

They’re curious. They come by to see what I’m about. I stoop down as if to be eye to eye with a young child, and I feel their presence so strongly. I avoid looking in their eyes, as some way of giving them respect – seeing their whole “sheepness” instead.

The chickens always fascinate me. I remember as a young child visiting my grandmother. She had a chicken coop up a very steep hill, one that’s hard to keep your footing on. This is where she got her eggs every morning. I really love that soft “cooaw” sound they make. It is so meditative.

There is a simplicity to them - no pretense. They peck the ground, finding treasures in the dirt.

Seeing these farm animals always cheers me up. It’s like looking deep, deep into the past, and feeling some of what our ancestors used to feel, sharing an experience common to most people on earth, because farm animals live everywhere. What a simple way to touch all of human-kind – through the farm animals.

Perhaps you would like to visit some farm animals today, and see how you feel – it’ll make their day too.