BUT "THEIRS IS A DIFFERENT ALPHABET..." THAT OF THE BEASTS, BIRDS, AND MARINE ANIMALS

    We know from a multitude of nature studies that animals communicate through gestures, facial expressions, motion, and sounds. We ignore to our peril, the intelligence, compassion, and emotions of other species. If we really saw this, we would not be battering our creation the way we are now.

  This initial quote...."theirs is a different alphabet".... comes from my favorite new book of ALL time, Gretel Ehrlich's, "A Match To the Heart," about the time she was struck by lightning and almost died on her Wyoming ranch. 

Her connection to her dogs, cattle, and horses is deep and beyond words. After she was struck and thrown 50 feet, she looked for her dogs, Ryan and Sam, to comfort her. But they were not to be found. Somehow, with gritty determination, knowing she was 1/4 mile from the ranch, she managed to stand, lift each thigh with her hands (her right arm did not work), fall many times, and make it to her truck where she screamed 911.

 

  Her terrifying and almost-fatal accident continued to tune Gretel in to the lives of other creatures. She knows that all of creation is interconnected: whale songs, nudges from dolphins to divers, the memories of help and hurt that crows keep, the way dogs look deep into our eyes, all of this and so much more show us "the different alphabet" of animal, bird, insect, and marine life communications. How could we have forgotten the first chapters of Genesis when God creates our world, plants, animals, marine life, birds and insects that populate it? "And God saw that it was good."

 

   When I watch Monkey Videos from the Savannah camp in Cambodia, I am struck over and over again by how the primates communicate with each other. There are the threat gestures of bared teeth with chattering lips; the soft call of a baby to her mother wondering where she is; the bared lips of a frightened baby towards a dominate male; the lip-smacking Moms do to their babies to reassure them and also tell them that Mom is here; and they even kiss their youngsters in such a warm display of love. 

Why do we think that only humans love their young? How have we become so antropocentric?

  What I know is this: last week when I discovered my Wet MD was now appearing in my right eye, not just my left, I had to have shots in both eyes. (Patty MacLachlan, are you listening from heaven?)  Once home, after the obligatory pee and tea, I collapsed on the couch, because my eyes hurt like hell. Not sure why, have had shots many times before with no real problem. But THIS time! If I had only had one Vicodin....Our Rough Coat Jack Russell Terrier leapt onto my lap, curled up, and began to lick my hand. It helped, along with Ibu and Tylenol. How do dogs know their humans are in trouble, sad, or distressed? 

They just do. If there is such a thing as an aura around a human, I imagine dogs can see a change in color. Or perhaps we give off a scent when we are sad or distressed.

  To continue this conversation about "a different alphabet," I strongly encourage you to get "A Match To the Heart" by Gretel Ehrlich, who has a wonderful reputation as a nature writer. I loved this book so much that as soon as I finished, I went right back to the beginning to start again. I did not want to miss one word of her astonishing observations and revelations. Try it, you will like it. Trust me. 

  Then, if you want to continue exploring the world of animal senses, try, "An Immense World," by Ed Yong, a Pulitzer prize-winner science writer. 

The book is magically immense, full of new information, and needs to be read with many tea-breaks and naps in between. But it is all worth it, that and Gretel's book. And, when you are tired of reading, walk out into nature and observe the birds and animals, listen to their calls, and see if you can be aware--just a little bit--of how they experience their world. Your heart and senses will expand beyond measure.