I like feeding the animals in the morning. I often feed Mira—Peter’s Doberman. Then Peter’s mealy amazon parrot, Jasmine. (Where’s Peter?) And last Silver, the cat from next-door that adopted us. In feeding Silver, I am also feeding the feral cat that sneaks out from under the house and steals a few bites.
The idea of rural nobility and virtue may be an American myth, but having to feed animals in the morning is good. Putting their needs before ours at the beginning of the day pries our heart out of the grip of selfishness and individualism—whether it is an old lady feeding her cat or farmer feeding his herd. Mira’s eyes looking eagerly at her food reminds me that my day isn’t about me.
