Listening to animals (with the ear of your heart)

Listen and attend with the ear of your heart.

~Saint Benedict

I've had this post in the works since last summer when I found a wonderful A.A. Milne quote about listening to animals. I knew I wanted to build a post around it, and got most of it done but never got around to finishing it. (I have several posts like that, I'm afraid!) But this morning as I was doing the dishes, I heard on the radio that A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh, was born on this date in 1882. So I thought, what better day to finish and share this post? :-)

I've added a song that I think makes a great accompaniment to the photos...

Whether you choose to listen to it or not, darling Piglet and I do hope you'll still listen to the animals - all animals - with the ear of your heart! :-)

Lots of people talk to animals.

Not that many listen though.

That's the problem.

~Piglet (A.A. Milne)

But some do...

Judy Woods of Pigs Peace listens to Bailey the blind pig

(photo by Harley Soltes)

My friend Robyn listens to the Peaceful Prairie goats

Joan Jett listens to Will on her visit to Farm Sanctuary
(Joan rocks!)

Someone who listens - and really relates - to a chicken pal!

BW listens with intense focus to Willow's secrets

(while a butterfly eavesdrops overhead!)

And I always listen to the deer's requests for treats. :-)

Without a doubt, this is the most adorable photo of someone listening to someone else that I have ever seen...

I am committed to cultivating loving speech

and deep listening

in order to bring joy and happiness to others

and relieve others of their suffering.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

My choice of the song, "When You Say Nothing at All" was completely inspired by Ashley, a lovely young woman I got to know in January 2008 during an online competition to raise money for charity, while we were competing on behalf of Farm Sanctuary. Ashley had interned at their Orland, California sanctuary that summer and shared a video (posted below) that she'd made of her experience. I thought her choice of "When You Say Nothing at All" was perfect, and remembered it as I was finishing this post. So thanks for the inspiration, Ashley!

If you've been playing the song, don't forget to hit the pause button on the playlist at the top of this post before starting the video below. :-)

By the way, Ashley won a VegNews Giveaway contest later that January when she replied to the question, "How do you show your veggie pride?" by submitting this video. And I found a comment her mom left last month on the FARM Blog, sharing a link to this video along with the news that a year after she first posted it, Ashley moved from Minnesota to California to work as a full-time Farm Sanctuary animal caregiver! No surprise, really ~ I remember Ashley as a devoted animal-lover and vegan who was clearly deeply affected by her animal friends and experience there ~ but wonderful news to read just the same! I wish I had a photo of Ashley listening to the animals to include on this post, but you'll get to see several in her beautiful, heartwarming video...