Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Heavenly Creatures

Home
New Visions
Streams of contentment and lessons learned from animals

Streams of contentment and lessons learned from animals

Last updated on: November 14, 2011 at 7:29 pm by Joanne Brokaw

Streams of contentment and lessons learned from animals 2011-11-14T19:29:55-05:00 Joanne Brokaw

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In the classic song, “Thank God I’m A Country Boy,” John Denver sang, “Life on the farm is kinda laid back”; I’ve always wondered what he meant by that. I visited a dairy farm once and believe me, the amount of work needed to feed, milk, and otherwise care for cows and then get the milk to processing was certainly not laid back. It was arduous to the nth degree.

Now that I’m older, I realize Denver wasn’t talking about the physical life on the farm in that famous song, but instead the mental and emotional and spiritual life, and the focus on the simple cycles of growth and death and regrowth, of connection with soil and water and air, of being part of creation, of family.

It’s the message Robert J. Wicks shares in his latest book, “Streams of Contentment”, lessons he learned as a child while spending summers on his uncle’s farm. (Check out the Patheos Book Club for more reflections on this book.) He shares memories of times that taught him to be alone without being lonely, to see quiet moments at the fishing hole as true meditation, and to understand that what we need to be happy isn’t more, but to be more happy with what we have.

I think that’s something I’ve found from working at home. The cat and dogs don’t sweat deadlines; the only schedule they’re on is lunch time and nap time. They aren’t concerned about paychecks; they have everything they need – food, toys, a warm bed. They don’t crave more food or toys or beds, because more wouldn’t make them any happier than they already are.

They’ve taught me that work begins when the play time is finished, that a nap every afternoon not only rests the body but also the mind, and that a warm puppy kiss can make a dark day brighter.

A newer car, more TV channels, or a more technologically advanced cell phone aren’t keys to happiness, and I’m glad I don’t have to work at a job I hate in order to have things I don’t need. I don’t have an iPhone or iPad or even an iPod; I drive a 10-year-old Jeep I affectionately call the dogmobile, and I love it, even though it doesn’t back into parking spots on its own or have GPS or satellite radio (it doesn’t even have a CD player); I’m only distracted by hundreds of channels on cable TV.

Instead, the interruptions I face throughout the day are not electronic, but canine. Woof! Woof! Let’s play ball! Woof! Woof! Let’s blow bubbles! A ride in the car means we listen to local talk radio and news. My lunch break includes “sleepy nap time”, at least one hour curled up on the couch with the dogs.

Yes, I’m often out of the loop, pop culture-wise. But I don’t think my life is any less full because I wouldn’t know Lady GaGa if I met her in the grocery store.

While working the land and raising farm animals is physically demanding work, there is also a reward for being connected spiritually to the animals, whether it’s gratefulness for a fresh egg or the awe and wonder at seeing a newborn calf take its first wobbly step.

Perhaps if we looked to our animal friends for lessons about life, we might be happier and more fulfilled.

Streams of Contentment

Previous Post

November 13, 2011

Cat stuck on cactus for three days; when you're in a jam, sometimes you just have to jump

Next Post

November 14, 2011 Monday morning cute animal video: Abyssinian kittens!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Animal behavior Animal health Animal history Animal rescue Animal research Animals and entertainment Animals and fashion Animals and food Animals and military Animals and science Animals and the law Animals in the news Be Nice Project Bears Bees Bible verses Birds Books cats Celebrities Christianity Circus Critters Dogs Elephants Farm animals Featured Shelter Pet Guest blogger Holidays Humor Interviews Movies Music National News Nature Ocean mammals Paganism Politics Quotes Reader photos Recalls Reviews Science Space Supernatural Technology Television Uncategorized Uncategorized video Wildlife Zoo

Select a Month November 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 November 2015 May 2015 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 May 2014 April 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who wrote most of the New Testament letters?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Paul John Peter James