I am glad the holidays are over. I love my family, but after so many vacation days together, my patience plummeted and my snappishness swelled. I paced the house like an animal caged with two other animals, neither of who could consistently please me. My darling offspring especially was given to constant bursts of anger. We were butting heads over every little thing.
On New Year’s Day, I made my escape…to visit my African elephant friends at the zoo.
My soul is often nourished in the presence of other animals, particularly those too large to fit in your house. They help remind me of the pettiness of my problems and the expansiveness of our planet.
Photo by wwarby/Flickr
Sunday’s weather was unseasonably warm so all three elephants were outside in their yard. Two of them (Ginny and Kate) were pressing against each other head to head, engaging in some sort of play. Like a graceful dance, they would move toward one another, tangle trunks, back away and press heads together again.
While I enjoyed observing this unusual activity, I desired a closer visit. So I decided to try some telepathic communication with Ginny. Focusing my mind is a meditation practice I’ve been working on, and this seemed like a good exercise.
Feeling like an elephant whisperer, I channeled my thoughts toward Ginny for several minutes, urging her to come over. Almost like a dream, the gentle giant turned her head, blinked her big brown eyes and lumbered in my direction. I’d love to say that the elephant flew to my side, but she actually stopped halfway across the yard to munch on hay for a while. Eventually, she walked all the way to the fence — directly in front of me.
I felt overwhelmed by the magic of it all. Ginny peered at me beneath long lashes and wiggled her trunk through the bars in search of food.
Soaking in her energy, I studied the deliberate way she moved: sniffing out hay with her trunk, bringing it to her mouth and chewing slowly. Over and over, this methodical process of eating, which was likely how she spent a good portion of her day. Yet she did not seem bored. She was not in a rush to move on to something else. She just swished her tail while she ate and basked in the golden sunshine.
As I had hoped, the animal’s presence nourished me. My connection to a larger species – this one actually caged – reminded me how good I have it. All seemed right with the world.
Back at home, I felt expansive. I didn’t rush to do something. Instead, I sat on the sun-soaked living room couch until Sofie climbed up next to me with a smile. We read books, ate snacks and cuddled. And when she blew up about something later on, I didn’t let it trigger my anger. I remained calm and steadfast, allowing my daughter to express her feelings and responding with love. With no opponent, her anger diffused rapidly.
Without knowing it, Ginny imparted to me some lessons on parenting:
Like the elephant: Make the mother-child bond the highest priority.
Like the elephant: Temper immense strength with enormous gentleness.
Like the elephant: Work together to make decisions for the good of the herd.
Like the elephant: Move slowly, consciously, from one thing to the next.
Like the elephant: Play, eat and bask in the golden sunshine.
This post has been featured on Thank Goodness It’s Monday at Nourishing Joy.
I needed to read this today. Thanks!