Menosukhi; Furminating...

Found myself looking back over the pet pictures.  The 'J's were such a large part of my life. They stabilised, loved, forgave, encouraged, soothed, entertained... Life can be lived perfectly well without a pet; but undoubtedly, life is enhanced by the presence of another for whom one is responsible. Currently, it is not practical to think of taking on a new 'furlationship'. The why of that can be stated, but not necessarily explained (nor, therefore, understood) in a single post.

At 'ground level', as it were, there is the very recognizable commitment aspect.  As a single person, should I have a need to travel (and regulars will know by now, that holds an extreme likelihood!) there is the need to ensure continued care and nurturing of any pet. 

Some are easier than others to hand off to family, friends or paid strangers for such periods of time.  It is far from ideal.  In all the 15 or so years I had the 'J's, we only faced being separated for more than a weekend on four occasions. Cats, in general, do not travel well so necessarily require leaving behind.  Dogs of course do travel well (mostly); however I did not own a car in OZ and non-aid animals are not permitted on public transport there.  

Here in the British Isles, dogs can travel on buses and trains, which is encouraging. What if I go overseas though?..

Financially it is a commitment also.  It is not in my nature to take on an animal and then leave it to its own devices. Any critter I take on gets the full nurture and needs-met focus from the YAMother. As one without income now, this would have to be very carefully measured.

Given that dogs are my first choice, it would have to be taken into consideration that I am no longer the sprightly walker I once was and also that I live up a flight of stairs, making garden access a little more involved.  Cats of course can adapt to indoor living; but this is not something I would wish for.  I do love birds also, but these are much more difficult to find boarding or care for in an absence.... All pet owners among you know the sorts of things of which I speak, so to a large extent there is no need to explain.

There is, however, a different aspect for me which may seem a bit 'off the map'. Vaasana. It will not have escaped the notice of most of you that mine is a spiritually focused life. Vaasana is a term in Sanskrit very difficult to translate in simple terms.  Near impossible, in fact.  It takes quite some time to wrangle with the aspects of our being which are causative and motivational, resulting in the personalities that we exhibit. This is not mere psychology; but pertains to the essence of karma also.  It is deeply involved and this is not the forum of explanation; (that will take place over at Aatmaavrajanam - aka "AV"). 

However, this blog is about the personality that is Yamini; who she is, why she is and how she is (or is not) going about life. Now that AV is up and running, MENO needs to become a secondary tool, perhaps something of a confessional.  (Now don't panic; you will not notice much (if any) change because this has always been the premise of the blog, albeit triggered by the madness around menopause. The point is...)

Teaching is one thing. Practice is another. 

AV must adhere to the teachings as they were learned and have existed for millennia. Having put much into practice, the teachings have proved themselves to me. MENO is the workbook, the interface with the existence most call life.  That can be messy sometimes. 

Thus, returning to my (ahem...) 'pet' subject... My total soppiness around animals is seen, in Vedantic terms, as a vaasana.  It has been hardwired into my programming and, whilst a positive thing on the material level, can be a hurdle in spiritual progress; to own a pet is to avoid being alone with oneself; to own a pet is a distraction; to own a pet is to attach, where the aim is to detach...

...like any addict, I look for ways to satisfy my need but minimise the consequences; I trawl the pet blogs; I hug and 'wag and whisker' through the ether; websites of rescue organisations are raided, interactions with any live dog in the street are lapped up...

For a while it will be held at bay; but how long before nature** over-rides?  Upon this and 'oh!' so many other things I 'furminate' today.


**From T S Eliot:
“The Rum Tum Tugger is a Curious Cat:
If you offer him pheasant he would rather have grouse.
If you put him in a house he would much prefer a flat,
If you put him in a flat then he'd rather have a house.
If you set him on a mouse then he only wants a rat,
If you set him on a rat then he'd rather chase a mouse.
Yes the Rum Tum Tugger is a Curious Cat -
And there isn't any call for me to shout it:
For he will do
As he do do
And there's no doing anything about it!”