Face snuffles

In the morning I often drape a folded T-shirt over my eyes, creating a little tent of darkness so I can catch a few more minutes of blissful sleep.

Today Joe stuck his snout under the tented fabric and gave my face a wet snuffle, shocking me awake and cutting short that period of drifting between sleep and wakefulness. When I sat up, startled, he had a very winning 'dog smile' that made it impossible to be angry at the rude awakening.

The Animal Lessons

One of the things I learned to appreciate this week, as I was alone with Joe, is how much I sort of forget that I'm an animal. In the past few days as my worktime and social time has to be include breaks to race home and take Joe for a walk and feed him. It put me back in touch with the idiotic realization of how much I am an animal-being too.

When I tend to Joe's needs, physical and emotional it's obvious how basic simple happiness in human's comes from the same things - nutritious food, ample exercise, social play, affection.

I think it's something that gets forgotten as our day's get busy and we take care of every detail except the animal needs that can be shunted aside to 'save time' - play, nutritious food, enjoyable exercise.

Joe constantly reminds me of the ineffable joy even from a sunbeam.