Omer 2019 Day 36: Unlikely Animal Friends

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Omer 2019 Day 36: Chesed in Yesod, Loving-Kindness in Connection
Unlikely Animal Friends

Halli never tires of watching new episodes of "Unlikely Animal Friends" on National Geographic. In this program, friends of all shapes and sizes - literally - are showcased not just for their uniqueness, but for the incredible bonds that they share.

In one case, a great dane cares for a fawn (baby deer) as if it were her own puppy, then after being nursed back to health and released the deer comes back regularly to frolic with her caregiver and friend. She even brings her own fawn back to meet the lovable hound. In another case, a blind horse and an old goat become friends at a rescue farm, and not only do these two pals do everything together, the goat actually leads the horse to the best place to graze and munch on fresh grass. You could say that the goat gets the best grass too by doing this, but you'd be wrong: the goat never deviates from his task of walking precisely in front of his equine friend, waits patiently (and without distraction) for the horse to be done eating, and then leads him right back to his stable when he's ready. There are countless other stories like this: an orangutan and his pet pointer (dog), a cheetah and his yellow lab friend, a giraffe and an ostrich, a dog and an owl, ducks, cats, chickens, lions, dolphins... the list goes on and on, and with each new episode that this show airs, I am continually left speechless by the connection and loving-kindness that these animals display toward each other. Whenever you think that we humans are alone in that one thing that makes us human, mother nature waits stealthily around the corner for the next opportunity to prove us wrong.

This year's animal Omer is a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us!