I make it sound like Gordy and I do all the caretaking around here, but that is only credible if you overlook the ecosystem that exists amongst the four-legged members of our tribe. For example, Loosa and Legs are fast buddies; they share hay piles and often, when coming in, choose the same stall. They give each other comfort and I know they measure the rightness of their world based upon the close presence of the other. But there are fluid pairings as well. Those are of interest to me because I wonder what passes between to make it happen. Monroe is, without a doubt, the most independent soul in the family and Bruno, again with equal lack of doubt, is the most curmudgeonly. Yet, in the days after Bruno came home from his emergency vet experience, I found Monroe and Bruno standing side by side, like horses in traces, for a long, long moment, without any seeming exchange. When it happened again and then a third time, I began to challenge my thought about the lack of exchange. It seemed to make sense to them, to be this way. Was Monroe lending her steadiness to the still disoriented Bruno? Did Bruno feel comfort in having a furry point of reference for navigating back to normalcy? Maybe. I know I was touched by the moment, that I felt Bruno’s softness and Monroe’s calmness and willingness to hold herself there. I felt like I wasn’t alone in wanting Bruno to feel better and I wasn’t the only one trying to make that happen. We humans are not the only ones who know how to care.
Day 40
findingjubilee 