Touching Hearts and Changing Lives

picture of harley

As I’ve mentioned before, I belong to the local Friends of the Shelter (FOS), which helps socialize and find homes for the animals who have been dropped off or found roaming. I’ve made weekly musical slide shows of the animals for the local public access TV station for the past four years, and from time to time I spend time with shy, nervous dogs who need special TLC. I also sometimes take calls when a dog hasn’t been adopted locally and we place an ad for him/her in a state-wide newspaper. I’ve just been screening calls for Harley, the lanky adolescent in the picture. He’s good-natured but high-energy. A lot of people have phoned, but most of them haven’t been willing to walk him every day to give him the exercise he needs.

I’ve only met him twice, but he captured my heart. The first time I was over at the shelter and took him out for a walk around the place so he could sniff and explore everything. I’m sure I must have given him some massages behind the ear, etc., but I didn’t think much about it. He seemed mellow and happy and cheerfully went back into his kennel when it was time. The second time I saw him was at a fair at a local park. He was part of the Friends of the Shelter booth and seemed completely at ease with all the people milling about. As soon as he saw me he immediately lay down on his back with his paws in the air for a belly rub. Yes, he was completely at ease. So I gave him his belly rub, along with a toddler who joined in, and massaged behind his ears. I’m always touched by friendliness, especially by someone who remembers me after only one encounter, so my heart melted. When he didn’t get adopted immediately and FOS advertised state-wide, I volunteered to take the calls.

picture of zora

It looks as if Zora, the dog on the left, and her people might be a good match. She’s about the same age and energy level as he is (very active), and the owners sound responsible. They live 100 miles away, so one of our volunteers will take Harley down when she has to go to Albuquerque next weekend. If the dogs get along, Harley will stay. If not, the volunteer will bring him back when she returns Sunday evening and we’ll try again. We’re expecting it to work out just fine.

Touching Hearts and Changing Lives

Why is this story worth sharing in a post? Because last week we talked about the importance of having challenges in our lives…that’s an essential part of my mental health. One reason I started doing the weekly videos for the local TV station was I wanted to learn how to do it. After four years they’re no longer a challenge, but they only take a couple of hours a week and it feeds the soul to be making a contribution using some of my skills. In Life As a Shared Adventure (over at Transforming Stress) I wrote:

… life for me would be pointless if I couldn’t share it with other people. That doesn’t mean being with them all the time…I spend most of my time working/playing alone. But in the back of my mind I’m always thinking of ways to share what I do with others.

I have two things to add to that:

  1. Dogs and cats are people too.
  2.  
  3. Some of my passions can’t always be shared with others…they’re simply not interested. That’s all right, too. I can still pursue those passions and make a contribution with them if the chance ever comes up. In the meantime, and even if that opportunity never presents itself, I can spend part of my time living my deepest values…making my corner of the world a slightly more friendly and loving place.

Years ago I took a correspondence course on writing. The instructor wasn’t a good match for my interests, but the initial questionnaire was worth the price of the class. It asked me why I wanted to write. Oh, yeah, I want to touch people’s hearts and change their lives, and if that isn’t possible to know that I’ve given it my best shot. The question made me realize that writing might not be the best way to do that.

As I’ve mentioned before, that’s why I love Friends of the Shelter. I don’t have to do it all alone, and I don’t have to spend my whole time doing it. From time to time I browse through some of my favorite memories, and the dogs at the shelter are always there. I’ve briefly touched their hearts and changed their lives by helping to find them good homes. And they certainly have touched my heart and changed my life… I’m grateful.

What about you? What feeds your soul?

Thanks to Brad, Evan, Jody, bikehikebabe, Shilpan, Cathy, Robert, Lance and rummuser for commenting on last week’s post.
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21 Responses to Touching Hearts and Changing Lives

  1. Lance says:

    That’s a great story Jean. And a great way to help these fine animals out. And the truth is, you’re also helping out the families who get these animals, as the animal can play an important role in the love going on in a family. It doesn’t just end when the animal gets adopted.

    I feed my soul by writing. This is new to me, and is at time challenging, but also very powerful at the same time. And, in feeding my soul, I feel more connected with who I am. It’s been an amazing journey so far…

    Lances last blog post..Sunday Thought For The Day

  2. Evelyn Lim says:

    Same here too. I feed my soul through writing. The other thing is via art. I feel so good now that I’ve discovered how important it is not to starve my soul.

    Evelyn Lims last blog post..Hire A Dream Team For Creative Visualization

  3. BC Doan says:

    What a wonderful post! I believe in doing volunteer work since like you, it’s food for my soul, too! I visit nursing homes, and volunteer to help homeless people at my church.

    BC Doans last blog post..Support "Train For Humanity"

  4. bikehikebabe says:

    I feed my soul by:
    1. eating right
    2. exercising lots
    3. communicating with my friends & family
    4. housework & yard work
    5. using up old stuff ’til I can THROW IT AWAY. I’m weird. 🙂

  5. rummuser says:

    A great story that has touched my heart. I wish that I could keep a pet. I will not be able to do justice to it for my preoccupation with my other responsibilities. Till a few years ago, we had a dog but had to find a different home for her for precisely this reason. I grew up with dogs at home and can understand your compassion.

    I feed my soul by doing what I have to do, to the best of my ability with good cheer and gentleness. You already know what that is and I am not elaborating here.

  6. bikehikebabe says:

    My family had a collie in the country. I’d kiss it on its wet nose. I was pregnant & told that I wouldn’t be kissing dogs when I had my baby.

    Much later I’d take my 40-year-old son’s samoyed dog on mountain bike runs as long as 10 or 15 miles. He was shot & killed on one of them. My son cried.

    I take the neighbor dogs on my hikes. One has 3 legs. I’ve seen too many unhappy dogs barking behind their fences to want one if it couldn’t be free. Dogs are people too.

  7. Cathy in NZ says:

    My soul is feed by the voluntary work I do for 2 craft guilds/clubs in my life. In one I manage the store that sells yarns and associated items for spinners, weavers, dyers, feltmakers etc. In the other I had only one position until late last year which was to take over their trading room which is all based around donations from members. My other position is their newsletter editor which is a 16page landscape A4 monthly affair. It’s got a template so it’s quite easy most of the time to fit the new words into. Page 8/9 rarely gets changed, or for that matter pg 15/16.

    And the rest of time my soul is feed by the continuous learning I am involved in as an undergrad student @ The University of Auckland, NZ! 🙂

    Interesting that you mention dogs/cats are humans tooooo…..recently I was looked at sideways over a literature writing titled: I am a Cat. When I said that cats were just like us, we just couldn’t understand their language as well as we should! (eyes raised was the response )

    Cathy in NZs last blog post..first week of break more or less completed

  8. Jean says:

    Lance,
    Thanks for mentioning the families who adopt the dogs. I hadn’t thought about that part of it. I also agree that writing is challenging and feeds my soul.

    Evelyn,
    Our culture emphasizes activity and accomplishment… feeding our souls isn’t on the list. It sometimes takes a while to discover we’re starving ourselves if we buy into the idea too much.

    BC Doan,
    I’m a volunteer at heart, too. 🙂

    bikehikebabe,
    I don’t think you’re weird at all. I can understand the pleasure in using things up then throwing them away.

    One of my most vivid memories of childhood was my father crying when our dog, Butchie, got run over by a car. He was by the highway, down at the end of our long driveway, waiting for us to come home when the car hit him. It’s bringing tears to my eyes right now.

    I agree about not keeping dogs in yards for too long…they want to be with their people, and they need to go on walks. My daughter gets up at 5:30 in the morning to walk their dogs. Her husband walks them in the evening and they hire someone to come in around noon to take them for another walk. They are both gone on workdays so the dogs are home alone.

    rummuser,
    I agree about not having a dog unless we can do it justice. I desperately wanted a dog when I was a kid but couldn’t have one. As an adult I knew I would feel guilty that I wasn’t giving the dog enough attention and exercise. Plus the fact we’ve always lived in a small apartment and I don’t want the hassle of having a bigger place. That’s why I love interacting with the dogs in the shelter.

    Cathy,
    It sounds as if you have a great, balanced life.

    I do visit the cats at the shelter sometimes. On the wall there’s a poster deciphering cats’ nonverbal messages for us. Even though I’m not a cat person, I can see myself getting one if something were to happen to my husband. It would be another living creature to share life with. My daughter has two cats as well as the two dogs.

    Thank you, everyone, for joining in the conversation!

  9. Evan says:

    What feeds my heart is getting the core of something.

    Of deepest nourishment is being with another when we both are with the core of who we are. It is also nourishing to me to examine an issue or topic and get to the core of it as well.

    Evans last blog post..Can Listening Skills Get In The Way?

  10. Jean says:

    Evan,
    I agree that interactions like that are nourishing. I’m lucky enough to have been married to my husband for years. There’s nothing like really knowing and appreciating one another.

    I spent a good part of this day looking at photos of Seabiscuit. To an outsider it might seem like a waste of time, but I was trying to get at the essence of why I was so touched by his story. It has to do with what I really value in life (it’s not winning, that’s not the part of Seabiscuit’s story that matters to me). Anyway, I’m pondering the subject for next week’s post.

    Thanks for joining the conversation. I left a comment on your latest post…that topic is related to this one.

  11. Jean, thanks for the amazing work you do to help dogs and cats find just the right home. Recently a woman came to our Rotary meeting to introduce us to some of the greyhounds she rescues from the racetracks. I was not aware of the great abuse this beautiful aninmals suffer just so just a few people can make money.

    Your kindness is certainly being repaid.

    About three years ago someone dumped a female cat on our large farm property. The cat had a few litters, but they seemed to disapper. I began to feed her to make sure she had enough food and she lived in the upstairs of our large barn where there was plenty of straw for her to keep warm in winter. Last summer when the whole family visited on the large porch of our home, “Ginger” jumped over the rail and deposited the kitten at the foot of one of my daughther-in-law. I could not believe it because there were a total of nine children, all very active on the porch at that time. She went away and brought two more one at a time. Later the kids begged for the kittens and after much thought she relented and when they grew, they found their new home. In the meantime I had Ginger spayed and she is now a much happier cat. And, my grandchildren are as well to have these pets.

    Robyn McMasters last blog post..Celery and Green Peppers Work Wonders for the Brain

  12. Jean says:

    Robyn,
    🙂 What a sweet story, and good for you for having her spayed! That’s one of the most important things organizations like ours do, have animals spayed and neutered…it’s the most effective way of reducing suffering. Thanks so much for coming by.

  13. Diane/lovewhoyouare says:

    I miss having a dog our two passed way about 5 years ago. And I have been missing that part of my life. Though as time is a issue and I am often not home. I have a cat and she is a lover to all of us and so much easier on the time care factor.I spend time thinking of what dog we’ll enjoy next when the timing gets right. They just bring so much joy into a families life.

    Thanks for caring for them.

    Most of my time is spent on connecting with others right now with the focus on healing.

  14. bikehikebabe says:

    Welcome Dianelovewhoyouare to connecting. What kind of healing are you focusing on?

  15. Diane/lovewhoyouare says:

    Bikehikebabe,

    One area of study for the past 3 years has been yoga. I did a teacher training in 05 and it was inspired by a injury I have called tennis elbow. I had been to the doctor for the pain and was going to a massage therapist and acupuncturist. The pain pill was taken off the market a couple years later. I quit taking it something didn’t feel right about it to me. The pain was better didn’t need it but it was still a great bother to me. I started yoga and I got progressively stronger. I watched people heal their injuries that were told they had to live within a modified existence. Not to say some still have to somewhat still… but their quality of life greatly improved.

  16. Jean says:

    Diane,
    I’ve done yoga in the past for flexibility and centering. Do you think it would help bikehikebabe with her shoulder pain?

  17. Diane/lovewhoyouare says:

    Bikehikeable,

    Yes… though I could use more info. on the specifics. You see some injuries need other remedies.

  18. bikehikebabe says:

    Yoga stretches & muscle strengthening help my shoulders. And good for anybody’s shoulders too. The MRI & CS show that surgery won’t help.

  19. Diane/lovewhoyouare says:

    bikehikebabe,

    That’s great that you don’t need surgery!
    What stretches do you do? Triangle pose and down dog are great for shoulders! And back bends too.
    Do you ever get massages?

  20. bikehikebabe says:

    I’ll have to look up triangle & down dog.

    I got a free massage on a week ski tour in Colorado. She said I had tension in my neck. Got one in China because it was cheap. I thought massages were suppose to feel good. They didn’t until afterward.

  21. tammy says:

    dogs are not only people to me… i like everything about them.
    i usually like them better than i do people.
    and yes, i’m working on that!
    it was charlie brown that said… “i love mankind. it’s people i can’t stand.”
    i am not as bad as charlie brown. unless it comes to people who are neglectful or abusive to animals. then i understand what charlie brown is saying.
    i so admire the work you do.
    i worked with second chance (a non-kill shelter here) in finding abused animals and documenting it and saving them.
    found i just couldn’t do it anymore. it hurt too much. i couldn’t make it leave my mind. then i felt guilty.
    thank god there are people who can do it and not stop.

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