I am an animal lover, a big, mushy, sensitive one. I cry a lot over animals. The poor animals in these fires who have lost their lives is heartbreaking. I am guaranteed to cry if an animal is harmed in a film, TV show, book... it doesn’t matter where, I’ll cry. At the moment we have two cats, one dog and only one poor chicken as the rest have died. But I need to build a better coop before I get anymore rescues. One of my cats was a foster fail. I took in the gorgeous Billy as he was born without eyelids and needed very expensive surgery and care to prevent blindness and ongoing pain. We fostered him for about a year as he went through the surgeries, 3 in total. He quickly became a solid member of our family, so when people started expressing interest in adopting the little ginger, the kids and I couldn’t say goodbye and we formally adopted him. Recently I have been tempted to foster more animals and had my eye on a 3 legged cat called Roland but he was adopted (yay!) and now I have my sights on another kitten named Pirate who has lost an eye, (no patch as yet!) he also needs surgery and fundraising is currently being done through the Urban Cat Alliance. I seem to be drawn to animals who have physical injuries or disabilities and I wonder why that is. Is it because I’ve often felt broken and can relate in some ways or am I overthinking again, very likely. Is it just because these kittens deserve the best in life, as all animals do and the ones who are suffering more completely steal my heart? Maybe it is a mix of both. I believe it is vitally important for children to be raised around animals. My kids adore animals and have such great love for theirs. They share such affection, they love the cuddles, the play, telling their friends about them and they are filled with compassion. They can also learn about death and grieving. They learn that no matter how sad they get: they will be ok. They will miss them but they will recover and always have loads of love to give to other animals. The mental health benefits of spending time with animals alone is worth it. Whether its patting a purring cat as it sleeps on your lap or walking your dog in the fresh air, it all helps. Well it helps me anyway and I can’t count the times I have seen stories about animals being taken into nursing homes to uplift the residents spirits. Beyond Blue says that the bond you share with your pet does a lot to support your mental health. I couldn't agree more. Maybe consider getting yourself a companion if you don't have one already? Animals are healing. They, like you, deserve happy lives and I mean all of them, domestic, wild and farm. They are sentient and worthy. You are worthy. Peace.
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Well it’s a New Year and what a start. Our country is literally on fire. Lives are being lost, homes and livelihoods are being destroyed. The amount of wildlife killed is incomprehensible. Climate change is kicking our arse and yes we were warned. So what do we do? We donate, volunteer, cheer firies as they pass, prepare our homes the best we can and support each other. My home is literally surrounded by fire but thanks to the bloody amazing work of the RFS, so far we are safe. We are still under threat and our bags are packed but for the moment, we are the fortunate ones. Yesterday I cut up some food for wildlife, bought some medical supplies and donated it all to WIRES as well as making a financial donation. It’s not a lot but every little bit counts. Celeste Barber is killing it with her RFS fundraiser, which was about to hit 45 million the last time I checked and no doubt it will be way past that by the time you read this. Brilliant! Donate here. People aren’t too happy with our PM ScoMo, and his awkward handshakes/assaults aren’t making matters better. But for now, we don’t have time to focus on him. We are trying to save our country, pity he didn’t get the memo. We are getting drizzles of rain, which although glorious to feel, simply impede the back burns the RFS are trying to do to protect us against upcoming severe weather days. We are longing for the day when this will be over. The thing is once these fires are over (for this season anyway) the emotional, psychological toll on people will be huge and ongoing. People are going to need psychological support, from those who lost loved ones, those who lost their homes and livelihoods, to the wildlife volunteers who have seen so much devastation, the brilliant RFS who are experiencing so much stress and trauma and risking their lives for us every single day and everyone else who has lived in a constant state of alert and stress, all of us are going to need ongoing support. Fortunately, Magda Szubanski and Will Connolly (Eggboy) are doing their bit to raise funds for those directly affected by the fires. They have a Go Fund Me set up to provide ongoing mental health support to those most in need. Check it out here. And the animals, god help me, it’s too much. To donate to WIRES Emergency Fund go here. There are loads more places to donate, just watch out for scams. I wish my first post was cheerier but I will say the way Australia is rallying together is fucking brilliant. I am so proud of this country and of my community. Brings me to tears it does.. Peace |
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