Half baked friendships

Humans seem to put so much into the importance of friendships, the feelings of belonging and being loved and cared for. Why then, I ask, do so many of us prefer to correspond via sms messaging, e-mailing or type talking? Are we not cutting our human ties with each other by linking more and more via electronics where we so often cannot hear or see each other?
Have we not taken the ship out of friendship and now each of us quietly rows our own little boat in the hope that a storm will not come up and dash our boat into someone else that is paddling along minding their own business?
When last did you put pen to paper and lick to stamp and write a long letter to a friend, take the walk or drive to the post box and post the letter ? Or when did you last receive a handwritten letter from one of you near and dears that have taken the time and trouble to sit down and devote some real time to their thoughts about you?
I love going to the post box and on opening it finding that I have a letter, I take it home, make myself a cup of coffee and sit quietly all by myself to read what someone has made the effort to write. If I am lucky this happens once or twice a year, instead when I go to collect post there are bills of all sorts, or statements. These only seem to remind me of how I need to control finances better than I am at any given moment.
The next question I need to ask is when did you last pick up a telephone and call someone just to see how they are? Most of us these days only phone as a last resort and when we are needing urgent answers. How often when we see who is phoning us do we not bother to answer?
Shame on us all, no wonder we are tending towards getting more and more psychopathic with each other, we are losing the social skills which are so important to developing lasting relationships, or is that another ship that is sinking?

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Originally uploaded by meadow ladies

Oortjies, a brave little dog.

Oortjies is a small male dog that has had a bit of a rough time over the last few months. Although very much loved by his human parents his Daddy passed a month ago and his Mommy has gone to stay with his big human sister in Australia for a few months.
Oortjies is fourteen years old and quite frail and his family were worried how he was going to cope with no Mommy or Daddy to look after him. Euthanasia was discussed, as the local kennels for some reason, will not take animals over seven years old as boarders.
We live next door to Oortjies and on hearing the sad story volunteered to have him with us until his Mommy returns home. When he first arrived he was nervous and very unsure, and seemed to battle to understand why he had been left over the wall.
We also had a language problem as Oortjies has been brought up as an Afrikaans dog, and our Afrikaans is at the laughable stage. Please do not say that animals are not language orientated and they only understand the tone of voice used with them. Like humans they understand best the language they are brought up with.
Not only was little Oortjies now staying with strangers but also with two rather frisky and full of life female dogs. Life had suddenly changed so very much for him, for a few days he hardly ate and would sit all day by the corner of the exterior wall and bark rather sadly in the hope his Mommy would appear to fetch him.
Talking, treats and just being near him started his acceptance of us and our family. Oortjies took over little Dixie dog's bed and they decided between them to swop dinner bowls and within a week the dogs had accepted each other and Oortjies had decided that as humans we were not as bad as he first thought, even though we do talk in a funny way.
We now have three dogs that run around and play together all day, eat their meals together and when we go to bed at night each knows where they will be sleeping and after anchovy paste sandwiches and being tucked in for the night calm and peace settle over the house.
Oortjies is the perfect boarder, he never complains about what meals he is served and is willing to share chairs and couches with humans and other dogs as long as there are blankets and hugs that go with the sharing.
It really is a pleasure to share our lives with this small gentleman for a while and he will always be welcome in our home.

Surroundings of death.

Last month seems to have brought more messages of deaths than any other time I can remember.
Although those that have gone to a better place have not been family members or close friends the deaths have been close enough to affect me with a strange sort of depression.
I have always believed that life is a celebration and therefore the passing of a life should also be a celebration for the soul that is now freed. Yes, admittedly there are always and should be tears of grief and sadness with any passing, human or otherwise, but is this grief and sorrow not more for those that remain behind than those that have passed.
When a loved one leaves us for a better place we know that we will miss them and we are allowed to take the journey of disbelief, grief, anger and all those other emotional feelings that seem to clog up our systems and stop us from moving forward.
This is however a part of being human so should be considered as acceptable to a point. Perhaps, in a cold blooded sort of way, I do not understand others feelings about death, what I do know is that when the bus runs me over then I hope that no one will be playing sad and mournful music to celebrate my beingness.
No matter what sort of life we have led there has always been happiness in some form or other to dull the blade of hopelessness. Physical life is a pleasure in so many ways and to learn to enjoy each lesson and hurdle can only enlighten us to greater heights.
When I am gone I do not want my family to ever think of me as poor ........., rather let them continue to laugh with and at me, sing "All things bright and beautiful" and may no loved one or friend of mine ever have to carry my coffin enclosed dead body.
Life is always good whether spent here on Earth or in some other place in the Universe.