ROADSIDE VALIDATION
They
speed by
without consideration
of the earthly encasement of your spirit
now in frozen fallen state
of no longer being.
~~~~~
On the side of a man-made thoroughfare,
apathetically referred to as
“Roadkill,”
Your nameless, lifeless body,
ignored by the masses of “humanity,”
is invalidated
by those who hold
their own lives so dear.
~~~~~
Last respects
withheld
funeral, ceremony, nor memorial considered
for
WHO
was so recently
a breathing,
feeling,
living being.
~~~~~
I pause to make significant note,
in honor of your meaningful existence,
I ask
a BLESSING
upon your soul,
now ceased to resist the changing of form,
passing on to the ‘nother places.
And in reverent, heartfelt whisper
send you intentional confirmation that
“YOU
mattered
… to me.”
~~~
~Gerean Pflug for The Animal Spirits
THE ANIMAL SPIRITS 
And to me they matter. Everyone one lying on the road I wish them peace to come. Once not so long ago, I was out walking, as I do, and there lie an opossum on the shoulder, not so very old. Understand I have an extra soft spot for opossums and pigs—and so it saddened me deeply to see the little girl who was not long for this world lay there as cars sped by, oblivious. All she ever wished was to live her life in peace, never bothering a soul, and now no one to grieve her passing save I.
I also wanted to say what a beautiful tribute this is to all those who end this way.
In in writing this post and publishing it for other humans to read, I’m attempting to influence them to resolve to acknowledge ALL of life, to connect with it, to dare to bear witness. And by illustrating how to honor, respect and BLESS the souls of the passing, I’m showing them how to live in authentic awareness, while utilizing the emotional, psychological and spiritual tools needed to ….in health, let go and move forward.
Saying “goodbye” to The Animal Spirits ~ My redundant platform ~ A continual work in progress
Thank you for actively listening and… hearing.
~ G
Ditto – we found a kangaroo not so long ago.. and, this was our way to honour it’s death:
Comfort for a Dying Kangaroo http://youtu.be/AqtBHcNgSW0
Rest in peace, indeed. For all those, thank you, for your exceptional kindness.
Jaya ~ I LOVE this video and I have posted it MANY times to our Facebook page. It is a beautiful example of presence and compassionate escort by one living being of another who is in process of passing to….the other side. So tender. Blessings on you for your mercy and grace. ~ Gerean
Thank you for offering her Spirit your gentle, loving escort to the other side. Thank you for grieving her absence from earth. She mattered. Every ONE matters. That others acknowledge OUR existence, hold it in value and . . . respond, may be the most WE can reasonably hope for from beings of a fallible world. Perhaps anything more is …a bonus.
Bless you………… I hate seeing animals suffering; and… invalidated. They are our companions, our source of inspiration, our gentle reminders of life connected.
Jaya ~ I couldn’t agree with you more. Blessings on your sweet, compassionate heart. ~ Gerean
Jaya ~ Thank you so much for reblogging this post. I so hope that others who read it will choose to acknowledge The Animal Spirits in more equality…at the very least choosing for their lives to matter. At the most, they might be encouraged to BLESS all of life as the shared gift that it is. ~ Gerean
Reblogged this on Jaya Chela Drolma, BA (Screen Production; Music) and commented:
This is a beautiful post – please read, share widely and treat all animals with the respect they need and, deserve. Kindness towards all sentient beings is vital – for they are part of us, connected in the very same, Life.
Jaya ~ See my note to you above. I got confused somewhere within the Matrix of WordPress software. Am just coming back from a blogging dry-spell and am re-learning the whole technology all over again. I’ll get there. 🙂 ~ Gerean
All good Gerean. Thank you so much for raising this important issue – empathy and compassion for all sentient beings. I have not eaten red meat since I was 12 yo (I’m now in my 50’s – and yes, still alive much to the surprise of those who used to think being vetetarian would kill me!), as I am not prepared personally to kill a mammal. For the record, due to major health reasons ( after I fell very ill a few years ago and lost a lot of weight and couldn’t put it back on), I eat a little bit of fish; and very occasionally, some free range chicken (as I’m a blood ‘O’ type which is the oldest and most primal group of human meat eaters); but this is a rare occurence these days – and I always say a prayer for that animal, for its life. I prefer a fully vegetarian diet which is vibrant, full of nutrition, and causes no harm to other sentient beings. So much of the problem of lack of empathy towards animals is that meat is bought n sterile plastic wrapped supermarket containers, with no affiliation to it being from a living sentient being – so, people don’t feel anything at all……. they do not see their eyes, or feel thier pain. Out of sight, out of mind. As for road kill, its in henious quantities in Australia, on the long roads across the desert regions – I’ve travelled those roads 100’s of times in the past ten years, and literally 100s of 1000’s of animals die each year, painful ‘hit and run’ deaths. In being hit, they cause much damage to cars, so people curse the animals…. but… in Truth, humans are the biggest killers on earth, with no remorse or care for Creation’s beauty. It upsets me so much if I personally hit any bird or animal. I can’t stand the idea of any suffering, in animal; or, human. The worst thing is, seeing animals hit, die painful deaths, and thier bodies just run over, again and again… as if they are just ‘nothing’. What a shameful mess humans leave behind in their vain pursuit of thier own importance. Connecting with all life – at very least, honouring an animal before it is used as a food item – is the very sacred response-ability we have as humans – respecting a living web of life. May you be blessed Gerard, for what you are doing, in raising awareness and sharing your feelings… bless, bless, bless, you. I’m sure the animals are looking down, with immense gratitude for your kindness.
When others ask me the hypothetical question. “If your survival depended upon eating a bite of meat, would you do it? I always say, “yes.” And add, that any animal will do whatever it MUST do to survive. I am not a perfect vegan. I never will be the perfect anything. I believe it is MOST important that we are conscious and connected to ALL of life. Beyond that I have no room to judge another for their choices. In a perfect world . . . nobody’d feel pain or sorrow or fear. We don’t live in a perfect world. Along my journey, each moment, I ask myself, “What next compassionate choice can I make for MY life?” I know I will be asking this question repeatedly for the rest of my earthly life.
Thank you for opening dialogue with me Jaya. It is clear what an empathetic, compassionate, merciful and gentle soul you are. The world and our brothers and sisters, The Animal Spirits are blessed by your loving choices.
PS ~ In November, I am celebrating my 3rd year meat-free. I avoid dairy 99% of the time, but occasionally I realize that there’s an egg used in a muffin I’ve ordered, or milk or palm oil, or something that is a vegan no-no that has been used by others in a food I am eating. I forgive myself and instead focus on the monumental life change I’ve made in the interest of awareness, consciousness and compassionate living. I’m feeling very healthy.
Thank you for extending your friendship. Many Blessings! ~ Gerean
Having not eaten red meat for 40 years now, I can safely say, I’ve ‘had an impact’ – that is, that mammals (who feed their young milk, like humans do) have not suffered at my hands; and I am happy to say, that yes, a choice to not eat red meat has been a joy to me these years. I don’t believe in chastising anyone for their food choices (and I had someone once treat me as if I was the scum of earth because I still ate chicken and fish, drank lagan (yogurt milk) and ate a few eggs here and there) – that I was not a full vegan. But Gerard, being vegan is not always possible for all of us. I respect vegans so much, for this choice. However where I draw the line, is those people who refuse to even look at the issue. They drape themselves in fur, eat copious meat, and care not one iota for animals used in testing… uhhgh. Meat is NOT essential to survive; but it is now, a luxury item for a few – and that few don’t realise the devastating impact raising meat has on our planet. Here is a FANTASTIC film I saw a few years back – it might make a few of your readers sit up and think further, what they can personally do with thier choices: Earthlings – http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/earthlings/
Jaya ~ I understand completely what you are saying to me. No judgment from me.
I have viewed “Earthlings” and use it often as an educational tool for those who want to become active in influencing others toward compassionate choices, as well as for those who are not yet awakened in empathy. A very well done documentary. I post it to “The Animal Spirits” on Facebook about once per month.
By the way, are you on Facebook? If so, I will be happy to connect with you there as well. Our page is: http://www.facebook.com/TheAnimalSpirits
~ Gerean
Typo: Should say, Laban (not, lagan) – a type of fermented milk, very good for the gut, found easily in Gulf countries. I have had a long standing gut problem, but Laban has helped considerably, this problem – all that probiotic bacteria healing the intestinal tract.
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