Tuesday, March 16, 2010

An "aha" moment

I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree and sometimes it takes me a while to see the obvious, but the other day I had a "light bulb" moment. I was watching TV and a reporter was interviewing a recently released convict who raised "rolling pigeons"...yeah, they actually roll. He'd been out of prison for 2 years and was determined to not go back. Having only been interested in pigeons, he decided to use his passion and make a difference in the world...starting with his community which was in dire need of help. He enlisted local teens to help him make pigeon coops and in general, feed and tend to the birds. Eventually, he had ex gang bangers and thugs off the streets and helping him and the community all at the same time. He now writes articles in "pigeon" magazines..(who knew?) and holds competitions for rolling techniques and whatever else these birds do.

So....

Having said that, it kinda dawned on me that animals are kinda magical in so many ways....Yeah, I know....I'm slow sometimes. Animals are a very intricate and personal addition to our lives.
Studies show they bring down our blood pressure, make deppressed people happier and they are our eyes and ears. They are your partner when you are lonely, they keep you warm and they save lives. It's amazing how important all animals are and not only domesticated ones but wild ones too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a hippy dippy animal PETA type gal, although I have always had cats, I can separate animals from humans unlike the animal fanatics who take things to the extreme. But it's truly as if animals are here for a purpose in so many ways...just like people. I don't know why I just thought of this...told you I was slow!


12 comments:

  1. Oh boy, I learned something new today...I never knew there were pigeons that roll....how odd is that?

    I love my fur babies and they are so much company to me during the day. They wander out to my studio with their toys and just come in for a visit and occasionally they bring me icky stuff too! I am not about dead stuff being drug in my studio but they are so proud of everything they bring me.

    It's all in the Circle of Life *sigh*

    Love,
    LuLu♥

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  2. I may not be a card-carrying member of PETA, but I'm not too far down the road...every time I hear another animal abuse story, I shudder...to me, that is the mark of a declining civilization.

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  3. I must confess, I've never heard of pigeon rolling....I'll have to Google that one. But what you've said about animals are inspirations and healing agents...very true. Lots of times dogs and cats are taken to the nursing homes and lighten the spirits of our older people.
    This was a heart warming post...thanks for sharing.

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  4. What is pigeon rolling? I do love animals as they do things to warm our hearts.
    Sylvia

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  5. I have no idea what pigeon rolling is....????
    Great aha moment! Animals are amazing. I believe dogs go to heaven with us...now don't think I'm a card carrying member of peta for saying this...lol.
    I could not live without a pet, especially a dog.

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  6. Hello Miss Bunny,

    Just stopped in to say hi. Love your AHA. My Bugsy (cat) is the current love of my life, though lately he keeps bringing muddy footprints in the house. I recently hung suet outside and am having a blast watching the birds, and him watching them. As for a rolling pigeon...gotta go look that up.

    Mainly, though, thank you for sharing such an inspiring story. I'll be back.

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  7. Hello Bunny, I think of my dog and cat more as companions rather than pets. But, listen, pigeon rolling, I went to YouTube and found some footage of the darn thing from the Discovery Channel. Take a look

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGwDOzpTcgs

    Unbelievable!

    Happy St. Patrick's Day, Bonnie

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  8. Very interesting! And oh so true. I do believe in the power of animals and their healing ways. Juvenile delinquents take care of horses and learn valuable lessons. We have a Middle School counselor coming to school next year who did that kind of work. Jingles makes me crazy with all the hair and scratching up the furniture, but what would life be like without a pet? I always had cats and dogs growing up and want my kids to have some of the same. I still long for a dog -- one day! We feed the stray cats outside every day. They are waiting and calling to us every morning and afternoon! :) Ha! I LOVE your cartoon there are the end. How do you find this stuff??? Happy Hump Day and St. Patty's Day too. Blessings, Tammy

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  9. Bunny dear,
    You are so right. Animals do have a certain power to calm us down...maybe the wonder of their beauty and behavior stops us in our tracks long enough when we observe them, and the natural reaction is a calming effect. I love watching birds, the wild rabbits in our garden and anything that makes me stop and remember that we were meant to be in harmony.

    Have a great day! Anita

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  10. I agree, Kinda. I had fish for years and they were relaxing. Actually I had broiled fish tonite. It was relaxing too. However, my wife has 2 cats that boil my blood. Always under my feet and on the table and kitchen counter. No I dont eat cat. Hmmmmm, Maybe them aggravating me is relaxing to the wife. You might just be right.

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  11. The power of electricity!

    My Aunt Camille is actually taking it too far...every time her dog barks she thinks it's giving her a sign that something is wrong with her physically and she's gonna be dead on the ground soon. But I understand, shes alone and has lost many friends, more just recently. But I do agree, animals are magical. They sense sadness and happiness; in fact, I often see my dogs smile. Really, I do.

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  12. Well I CAN be an animal lover I guess....since I do have two toy poodles and a gold fish. The poodles sleep on my bed with me at night. Does that make me an animal lover? I just bathed the two of them tonight...BUT let me tell ya..when I find the pee in my house! WELL I GO INSANE...the little farts (especially the youngest who is 6 years old) marks their 'territory' all over the place. I resorted to putting them in pull up diapers actually. It's either doing that or well..let's not talk about that...

    I loved the pic that you shared..that CRACKED me right up!

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Go 'head...say it already!