Addams
LOVE
AND WELL-BEING
How important is Love to
our well-being?
I keep hearing about
numerous studies that have been done in the last few years which would strongly
indicate that those of us who have people who care about us are healthier and
have a better chance for recovery when we do fall ill. Certainly it is easier if we have someone who
cares about our well-being. Imagine
being very ill and at the same time, alone, without support from anyone who
cares about you. For many of us, it
would be easy to give up in those circumstances.
St. Paul said it
well: “Though I give my body to be
burned and all my money to the poor, and have not love, I am but sounding
brass.” I love the imagery. I think of a church bell, ringing loud and
long, but uncaring, not knowing what it calls.
The empty sound. Good works
without the Love to back them up.
(On the other hand, I do
have to wonder why on earth would you give all your money to the poor if you
didn’t Love them?)
I am fortunate, for I have
always had very good taste in people. My
friends are some of the best folks in the world. And I do think one component
of well-being is how much love we experience, whether in giving or receiving. We need to give love as much as we need to
get it, but sometimes I think we forget that.
We want someone to care about us.
But we also need someone to care about.
When I think about the individuals
who have kept me going, who have always been there for me, who never cared
whether I was fat or thin, well or ill, rich or poor, those individuals have almost
always been my four-footed friends. When
I think about those who have wanted and
appreciated what love I had to give them, again, it has been animals.
Currently I live with 6
cats and 3 dogs. And each one of them is
different. Each has a distinct
personality, likes and dislikes, preferences about what is good and what isn’t. Murray likes to borrow under the covers, Ben
is frightened when a blanket is offered.
Lil Bit likes to jump and play, Fred prefers to spend time watching out
for strange dogs and cats and warns us if they might try to trespass. Tabigayle runs and hides when strangers come
near, Franklin greets them and questions them about their worthiness to be in
his home. Paulie Paul and Prescott run
and hide from company, Addams nags and persists until the company allows him to
sit in their laps -– and then he fills the room with purr..
But each and every one of
them has been a comforter, a friend, a teacher, a companion, a blessing in my
life.
Frankly, I pity folks who
have not known how to love an animal, who have not had an animal’s love. For me, it is a way to be connected to the
entire universe. Human ego so often
seems to think that we are the center of the universe, it’s ultimate reason for
being. But we are not so important. We are merely another bead in the long string
of life. We share this planet with
myriad life-forms, all of which are important.
All of whom are deserving of love and care, just as we are.
