Are You a True Animal Lover?

According to the American Pet Products Association, there are pets in 72.9 millions homes in the United States. A staggering number, that's a whopping 62% of all homes in the U.S. People love living with dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish and assorted other animals.

The physical and mental health benefits of owning pets are many. Dog and cat owners often remark on the unconditional love they receive from their pets. Your pet doesn't care if you wake up with bad breath. They love you anyway. Health benefits include everything from reducing blood pressure, quicker surgery recoveries and fewer trips to the doctor to lowered allergy risks in children. It's no wonder pets play such an important role in the lives of many.

To be a true animal lover, however, is to be a breed apart. Most people love their pets but true animal lovers take their devotion to another level. Are you a true animal lover? Here are 10 ways to find out:

1. Your cupboard is full of gourmet food - for the dog. You eat boxed macaroni and cheese.

2. Your cat sneezes and you rush her to the vet. You have the flu for 8 weeks and wait it out.

3. You wake up in the middle of the night to discover you have a dog sleeping on your legs and a cat on your chest. Yes, breathing is difficult but you'll live.

4. You know the names of each of your neighbor's dogs but not the names of their kids.

5.  You spend hours scheduling play dates for the dog.

6.  You sleep soundly for four hours but wake up with a start. You realize the cat has not made an appearance in all that time. You jump out of bed, grab the flashlight and look everywhere for her. You finally find her snoring softly in the easy chair.

7.  Your dog is prepared for any weather: a sweater for those cool fall days, a rain suit for April showers and a parka for December's snow.

8. The cat meows and you talk to him. Your spouse speaks and you don't even notice.

9.  You love to try new dog treat recipes. You taste each one yourself before offering it to the dog, just to make sure it comes up to your high standards.

10. When you shop for a new living room chair, you look for one wide enough to accommodate you AND your pets. Anything less is unacceptable.

If you do all of the above, you are a true-blue animal lover. Count yourself among the elite.

A Not Forgotten Life

Our mailbox sits on the side of the road. It's battered, probably from being hit by snow plows, passing cars and maybe even a baseball bat. Kids do that to mailboxes in the country sometimes. Dented as it is, it still serves its purpose. Each day, I walk out to get the junk mail, catalogs and occasional useful mailing.

One day last week, I walked out to get the mail and saw a small bird on the road. Dead, it had either flown into or was hit by car. It hadn't been there earlier, when the dogs and I went for our walk. In the hour before, its life had come to an end.

Coming back to the house, I planned to get a shovel and move the bird off the road. I put the mail on the table and started out the door when a loud boom of thunder sounded and the rain began. I didn't go back out.

It wasn't until the next morning when I went to the mailbox again that I saw the bird was gone. Not a trace remained. Perhaps one of nature's scavengers helped the rain clean up. We'll never know.

I mourned for the little bird. I hoped it had a happy life. I realized that if the timing had been different, its death would have remained a secret. No one would have felt a sense of loss. Or celebrated its life. But, I knew. This one little bird will not be forgotten.

Dealing with Loss

One of my favorite expressions used to be "Well, at least nobody died." Things were bad, sure, but it could always be worse, right? I can't even say that anymore. In the last five years, I have lost a beautiful cat and both of my parents. Other traumatic events, that feel like deaths, have occurred. I left a home and area I loved and moved to a new place with hopes for the future. Slowly but surely, each of those hopes died. It seems like every time I crawl out of the hole, something else happens to throw me back in.

Skype is a wonderful invention. It enables me to talk face-to-face with a couple of very close friends. They, too, have gone through difficult times, but we bolster each other up during our video chats. It's almost as good as being in the same room. The fur babies are always with me, loving as ever. This is what gets me through the day.

Still, a spark lingers. Hope. It's still there, it's just harder to find.

A Normal Winter Seems Abnormal Somehow

Yep. it's snowing again. This snow has a different consistency than those before. This one is a slushy, sloppy mess. The kind of snow you usually get this time of year. The kind that freezes overnight and makes the path to the bird feeder the next morning an icy adventure. This seems like one very long winter.

To tell the truth, it's not longer than normal. It just seems that way. I have apparently gotten used to those mild winters of recent years. Normal doesn't seem normal anymore, it just seems long. It's difficult to believe now that I was excited to see the first snow last fall. I was. I love the change of seasons; the new beginnings. It's the endings that are hard.

A Winter Muse

Is it because it's January? Too many dark, gray days. The holiday season behind us. Not much to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Is it the age? Another birthday coming up. Middle age pushing towards "senior." Hmmmmm....

What's the restlessness, the not feeling settled, the loss of passion about what I do? What's this longing to do something important, something that makes a difference? It's always been there, but the feeling is more urgent these days.

How to begin? How to find what's missing? Is it because it's January?