Life can be a very overwhelming thing at times. Jobs can get hectic, relationships can get complex, and most of all, time can become that rare commodity that there’s never enough of to do the things that we /want/ to do, leaving us to only do those things which are usually chose by the “hottest-fire-first” methodology.

If there were any encouragement that I’d offer, it would be to simply /take/ time every once in a while, to reflect on those things that are truly important in your life. Whether it be the brief, five minutes in the morning during the initial caffein infusion, or during that long-anticipated lunch break at work, or even the tedious and perhaps frustrating commute homewards in the evening. Whenever you might manage to steal those moments, do it! There can be a real peace found in them.

Someone once said to me: “Don’t get so caught up in life that you forget to live.” I’ve always found there to be a very profound message there. Life can indeed be complex in its simplest moments, and downright overwhelming in others. Even so, passions are those few things that we can find peace and tranquility in, even in the busy hubbub of our daily existences. Passions are those things, whether they be “hobbies” or “pass-times” that you can truly immerse yourself into, and every emotion whether sadness, anger, frustration, or sorrow, can all be put into those passions and fuel them like nothing else. If you are frustrated, depressed, sad, angry, or whatever, and find yourself turning towards a particular activity, then think carefully about that activity; I think you will find that what you’re drawn to is much more profoundly important in your life than you might have realized before. Those activities that you’re drawn to, those are your passions! Develop them. Nurture then. Delve into them, because as you do, and more fully discover them, you will find that you will learn much about yourself as well. Passions are a part of us; part of life’s journey is to find them, discover them, and with those discoveries, you will come to see that your life is made so very much richer by having them.

I have so many passions: music, animals, writing, and even counseling, although I haven’t done that for a living in quite a while. I am perhaps lucky to know that I have four passions. Some people only have one. Some people journey for a lifetime, never discovering what theirs might be. Others find that their perhaps single passions makes the entire universe turn for them. For me, I’m not sure than any one of my own is any more grand than the others. All play a monumental role in my life. With both music and writing, they can be shared with other, and if there is such inspiration, can move them no differently than it does myself. Animals are a much different passion.

I cannot begin to describe what I feel when I am knelt next to my animal friends. It’s not about words; it’s about feelings and emotions. It’s about “being”. It’s about find yourself in that perfect moment, where everything is bliss and contentment. It is about love and compassion. It’s about that sometimes fleeting moment that last for such a tiny moment and is then gone forever, when you were truly at peace. That’s what the animals do for me. It’s very personal. It’s very...intimate, for lack of better word.

So that’s what this page is about. These animals are my passion: my life. I hope that you also, can find some peace and tranquility here with them. It would be my greatest hope.

Find your passions! Live your life through them. Let them guide you along the way, as by facing life through them, you will find that so many things that give you such strife and tribulation will not seem so overwhelming when seen through the eyes of your passions.