The Animal-Human Gift Exchange

The other day, my boyfriend and I couldn’t find our cat Calla anywhere. We called her name repeatedly and...nothing. Cue the anxiety!

As Adam searched elsewhere in the apartment, I was focusing on canvassing the living room when I noticed our other cat Faro walk in. I took a deep breath, dropped into my heart, and asked him out loud, “Faro, where’s Calla?”

Faro took a few steps, sat on the rug, and turned his head to the left, looking towards a pedal-board case beneath the table Adam uses for guitar building and maintenance. Many cases are stacked under there, but because Faro directed me to that one, I noticed a small pocket of space between its top and the underside of the table. When Adam came back into the living room, I asked if there might be room behind that case for a cat.

As Adam said, “I don’t think so…”, he pulled the case out to reveal Calla curled up sweetly, fitting herself perfectly into the smallest, coziest spot we never knew existed.

Faro has come through like this twice in the past when I’ve asked him where Calla is, once taking me directly to a hall closet and once sending me an energetic pull to Adam’s drum set (she was hidden, snoozing peacefully in both locations, both times).

This time of year, I think about gifts non-stop because I’m shopping like crazy. But inevitably, every December I end up cherishing the already existing gifts I’m so grateful for.

Like the gift that Faro is so generous and clear with his help, by revealing where his sister is hiding… or by letting me know when the litter box needs cleaning in his opinion (I won’t elaborate on his method here). Companion animals help us in so many ways, from the soul level to every day practical stuff! Think about all the ways your animal gives back to you, how you naturally communicate, and how well they understand you. Is there anything better in the world?

Several years ago I spent a week in the Bahamas swimming with wild dolphins in the open sea. Every day our tour group would sail an hour out from the coast and stop and wait for a pod to show up so we could join them in the water. One day after what felt like an eternity of waiting, I decided to invite any dolphins in the sea to connect intuitively with me, and I sent out the question, “The day’s almost over — are you coming to play with us?” The answer I heard back was, “Oh, you don’t even know how good it’s going to be!”

Sure enough, twenty minutes later a pod showed up and led us swimming in circles around the boat for the longest dolphin play date of the week. We dove with them, surfaced with them…it was the dream of all dreams. I couldn’t get over the gift of wild animals not only being ok with us in their home, but also celebrating connecting with us and sharing their joy. It was healing in every way.  

On my visits to Costa Rica for soul-level workshops with horses, each horse paired with a human to work with for the week. One day, our group sat in a circle engaged in deep sharing. When it came my turn to speak, my partner horse Elisa moved to stand right in front of me, completely blocking my view of everyone else. I tried to lean and look around her but her body-block remained.

The workshop teacher explained that Elisa was protecting me because I was sharing something vulnerable. Elisa wanted me to feel safe in that moment and her determination to do so was mind blowing. Here the gift was an animal — not so wild and not a live-in companion either — participating in a workshop to help and support humans working through their stuff. And each horse had the choice to join the workshop or not that week — totally voluntary. It makes me think of all of those animals who happily connect with people in nursing homes and hospitals. Gifts with a capital G.

Did you ever think what the world would be like without animals? We have to be here together for a reason. We help them, they really help us. Acting like an animal can make us so much better humans (see above their unconditional love, authenticity, support, and compassion).

How about the gifts we can give our own animals this season? Here are my top three:

1 . Presence – Be with them without scrolling or thinking of the past or future. They LOVE this. You can also breathe, open you heart, and welcome any messages from them in this moment.

2. Gratitude – We show our love to them all the time. But how often do we tell them we sincerely appreciate them? It’s more than saying “You’re such a good boy”. Expressing your gratitude for them, to them, brings a yummy vibration to your bond.

3. Self-care – Clearing your own stress and tension will always help your animals. When you value yourself, it ripples through to them as safety, love, and balance. A.K.A pure bliss.

•••

Another gift I hugely appreciate is you, dear readers! Wishing all of you and your wonderful animals happy holidays (and a cozy, quiet place to nap). 💜