For the animal shall not be measured by man.
In a world older and more complete than ours, they move
finished and complete, gifted with the extension of the
senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices
we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are
not underlings, they are other nations, caught with
ourselves in the net of life and time.

Henry Bestion – The Outermost House

Romeo … the Wolf

https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/how-one-wolf-charmed-entire-town/

The people of Juneau had mixed feelings about having a wolf hanging around town, playing with their dogs. Why do you think some people enjoyed having the wolf nearby while others wanted it dead?
We have this schizophrenic relationship with wolves. Some people recoil and some people move toward them. I guess it’s a natural fear, since it seems to be somewhere deep in our being—you know, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, Peter and the Wolf, Dr. Zhivago. Wolves are bad news. That’s the story we have in our heads. But what to do with a social wolf?

This was not the way it was supposed to go between big, wild things and us. Where you get to know an individual, and interact with them on a social level. Where it has no survival benefit for either party, but it’s obviously enjoyable for everyone. I mean, he’d come over to see me once he knew me. And, I mean, I didn’t feed him. And plenty of times, I went out without a dog, and he’d still come over to say hi. He clearly knew individuals. And it’s hard not to call that friendship. I think most people would agree, we can be friends with a dog. But say, well, ‘The wolf was my friend.’ People go, ‘Yeah, sure…’ Well, why not?

That’s what this whole thing was about. The way we relate to the wild. Even people you’d think would know better believed this to be an impossible situation. We’re talking about biologists, wildlife managers. They don’t want that to happen. It’s their worst nightmare. Because they want an animal to remain a faceless resource that can be managed—can be removed, can be shot, can have a radio collar put on, can be studied. They don’t want people to be friends with individual wildlife.

A Wolf Called Romeo Images

What a surprising and practical thing to say …. if only people would really hear it …

… the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do. We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts. If we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes, as my mom would say ….  just for a moment, stand in their shoes.  – President Biden 01/20/21

There are so many people who are suffering because too many either refuse to believe they can make a difference, or worse ….. shrug it off as ‘not their problem’.  That, right there, is the closed heart.

We are all connected.  We are all affected by all choices by all people, whether subtly or overtly.

What you put into the Universe … ultimately returns to you.

~ Do things from Love, not for Love.

Toothbrushes – Eco Friendly

If you have plastic to recycle, some links: (Note – Sometimes links cease being available … keep researching!)

https://recyclenation.com/2015/06/how-to-recycle-toothbrush/

https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/colgate

https://www.preserve.eco/pages/gimme5-what-we-accept

https://www.treehugger.com/green-home/6-toothbrushes-keep-your-teeth-clean-and-green.html

https://thegoodwellcompany.com/

~~

For toothbrushes, consider Bamboo (which is often less expensive than the plastic!), or Preserve brand (check Amazon. These are recycled toothbrushes).

This is our World, and how we treat it matters.

~There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the Earth … Rumi