The Empathetic Heart

Dogs can empathize.  That is part of the reason they make such good therapy animals.  Trigger is a pro at empathizing with me.  I want to know how I feel, take a good look at Trigger.  He is my mirror.  He does not hide anything an does not tell himself it wrong or bad to feel a certain way.  Just feel the emotion.  When I am up and positive he bounds around and wants to play.   When I am down he droops around and his tail is down.  This is always when he wants to get close and cuddle and his eyes always tell me that he is there and willing to help any way he can. 

I feel for you.  I am able to reflect your feelings.  Empathy is not pity and it is not sympathy.  It is acknowledging someone else’s feeling and an understanding that while I may not know exactly what you are feeling I do understand and feel for you.  Empathy is similar to a reflecting pool.  Its not an exact replica but it is close.  Empathy is not about trying to solve another’s problems it is the ability to recognize and offer a helping hand.  Why is empathy important?  It has many long range effects on individuals and the people around them.  Empathy is a key ingredient of successful relationships because it helps us understand the perspectives, needs, and intentions of others.  Empathy has some well known side effects that have been research and found to be amazingly accurate.  For example:

Empathy reduces prejudice.

Empathy is good for your marriage.

Empathy reduces bullying.

Empathy fights inequality.

Empathy is good for the office. Managers who exhibit empathy have employees who are sick less often and report greater happiness.

Empathy is good for health care.

Laughter Heals

There has been some interesting research in the canine world on whether or not dogs laugh.  I am here to say that Trigger laughs.  He gets this open mouth stretched wide and then this look in his eyes says he is laughing hysterically, especially when I am exercising.    His sense of humor knows no boundaries’ and it always seems to be at my expense.  His laughter is contagious and I just can’t help myself.  He makes me laugh along with him.

Laughter improves human well-being.  Everything from a small chuckle to a full-blown belly laugh can provide positive effects.  Laughter reduces blood pressure, opens airways, and releases endorphins.  Not to mention it just feels good.  So go ahead and do it.  Open your eyes real wide, raise your eyebrows, start with a smile build it into a chuckle and finally reach deep down in your gut and bring forth a great guffaw of laughter that builds all the way up your body, expanding your lungs and diaphragm and releasing through you mouth as a good old fashioned belly laugh. 

Laughter is a great medicine.  It’s free and is usually one of those things that pays forward.  When you laugh it is hard for others around you not to laugh.  Laughter can produce a chain reaction.  While it does wonders for you body physically the real payoff is the healing balm it can bring to you soul.  Laughter can drown negative thoughts.  It brings a little happiness to you life.  It has the power to put a positive light on even dismal thoughts.  It gives you perspective.  So take time to chuckle.  It helps brighten you world. 

Tears

Sometimes you just need a good cry.  Trigger may not cry tears, but when I do I know he is there with a sympathetic tail wag and a cuddle.  He will get as close to me as he can and look up at me with those big eyes and whimper softly to let me know he is there for me. 

Tears can be a cleansing balm.  A wise woman (my mother) once told me that if crying does nothing else at least it cleans out the cobwebs.  A good cry can help to get out the pain and hurt.  It may not solve the problem but at least it clears the debris out and opens the flood gates for a good cleansing.  Tears will not solve the problem but it can help move things into perspective or give you a new angle to look at things.  It is OK to cry.  Give yourself permission to cry.  You do not need to be the pillar of strength all the time.  Your feelings are hurt or you have sorrows, let yourself feel those feelings and come to grips with them.  Once you have dealt with those feeling you are in a much more powerful position from which you can then move towards solving problems. 

Smoke Mountain Adventure

I have recently added to my list of new endeavor.  I decided to try my hand at writing a children's book.    I decided on a futuristic tale of two children living on a highly polluted and volatile planet.  It is fast paced and entertaining while still trying to provide ethical perspectives.  It is named:  Smoke Mountain Adventure.  It is being published by Tate Publishing with a release date in February 2014.  It is available for purchase now through: http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781628541878

Here is an excerpt from the book:

The twins cautiously stepped farther into the cave. The
front edge of the opening was jagged, but once past the
opening, the floor of the cave leveled out and slanted slightly
downhill. One step led to another. Then the twins were at the
edge of the circle of light coming in from the opening. They
strained to see what was farther on, but the light didn’t reach
into the recesses of the cave.
Suddenly, a horrible groaning and rumbling sound came
up from the depths of the cave. The floor of the cave gave a
lurch, and the rumbling from deep in the ground got louder
and louder. Everywhere around them, rocks came loose and
fell to the floor. Pop Top screamed.
“Groundquake!” Tab yelled, and he grabbed Pop Top’s
hand and ran for the opening to the outside of the cave.
The noise increased, and rocks were falling everywhere.
Tab pulled Pop Top over next to the wall of the cave and
crouched down, pulling Pop Top down with him.
“Cover your head with your arms and hang on. We’ll
never make it to the outside with all the rock falling.” The
noise was deafening. All around them, rocks, dirt, and dust
filled the air. It seemed as though the entire cavern was caving
in. Tab reached for Pop Top and pulled her into the shelter
of his arms. Pop Top was sobbing in terror. She grabbed
Tab in a death grip and prayed that they would survive the
groundquake. Tab lifted his head and peeked out from under
his arms. Right before his eyes, he could see the opening to
the outside filling up with rocks and dirt. Within moments,
the entire opening was completely filled, trapping the twins
in the cave.