“I love people and animals — though not necessarily in that order,” Doris Day once said. “I’ve never met an animal I didn’t like, and I can’t say the same thing about people.”

i can barely even look at people some days…too many self-centered, clueless turds…i try to be nice…but the older i get the less nice i am…i say what i think…and then flip/slip back into my reclusive life. it is a miracle that I found kindred spirits…thank goodness for that! i love facebook for that…though there are a few facebook pages i sometimes look at to renew my venomous ire toward the shallow human race. plenty of material there!

From columnist Lewis Richmond: “Finally, since emptiness seems so difficult to understand, why did the Buddha teach it at all? It is because of his profound insight into why we suffer. Ultimately we suffer because we grasp after things thinking they are fixed, substantial, real and capable of being possessed by ego. It is only when we can see through this illusion and open ourselves, in Ari Goldfield’s words, ‘to the reality of flux and fluidity that is ultimately ungraspable and inconceivable’ that we can relax into clarity, compassion and courage. That lofty goal is what makes the effort to understand emptiness so worthwhile.” (Read more here.)

Carol Baker: “True enough – but when I learned to think like my dog… I came to appreciate life’s simple pleasures and leave yesterday to yesterday. Barney Dog taught me that there are few things in life that can’t be improved by a nap.”

BTW, animals ARE buddhists, right, carol? obviously you and i think alike! then I am lucky indeed!

(note: cows and apes don’t need animal protein…inadvertently protein happens! we b fine…)

Steve Randomsurname: “Buddhist philosophy and thought have been a huge source of inspiration and comfort to me over the years. It represents incredibly advanced psychological insight considering the era in which it is from.

“Suffering comes from attachment and craving; and is released by letting go. Ego and delusion cause us to hold on to things which are best let go. We can see many examples of how we do this in our everyday lives, both in our craving for things and how this results in suffering, and how much better we can feel when we let go of something we’ve been holding onto too tightly.”

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From columnist Ann Brenoff: “Years ago, I had a boss who insisted I take the day off when I had to put my 15-year-old dog to sleep. My boss’ act of kindness allowed me to grieve in peace and relieved my stress over missing work for a reason that a non-dog owner might not get. It translated into a mountain of gratitude for her kindness and for years after, I never said no to anything she ever asked of me. The bosses who get that you have a life outside the office are the bosses we love the most and work the hardest to please.” (Read more here.)

Diane Shenkman Baumgarten: “Dear Susie, what a kind and compassionate person; if only we could all treat one another like that, or just animals, that would be enough for me.”

Bob Wannberg: “Sing it Susie! You’re right on key!”

Kathy Bostwick: “Wonderful article, Susie, and, yes, life happens, and most of us working people don’t like what happens but it is sure a lot easier when your boss is understanding….the world needs more kindness and you are starting a wonderful new trend, Susie….Smiling is good – it makes people wonder what you’ve been up too!”

Doris’ love for animals has never waned: “I couldn’t be without them. I couldn’t. They are so true, and I love that.” ~ Doris Day

Thanks, Tressa! Tressa Marie: “Thank you so much, Susie…MY ANGEL ❤ ❤ I will share this in two groups. So very very sad what is happening to this beautiful, majestic, lovely souls. Thank you for all you do each and every day for the innocent voiceless. A true guardian angel ❤ ❤ Love and respect always ❤ <3”

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postscript…

horsemeat scandal? hey all meat was somebody’s mother…or somebody’s calf…or piglet…or lamb…what is the difference? cannibalism is cannibalism! eat more greens…more salads…your heart will benefit physically and emotionally…i am watching the slaughter of horses on CNN at a slaughter “camp”…hell on earth. hell on earth. evil. a bolt to the head…hanging upside down… decapitated…slaughtered, starved…purely profit-driven! stop the world, i wanna get off! ‘livestock”? what kind of word is that anyway?

“Now, more than 35 percent of Americans are obese, and almost 70 percent are overweight. This is not an accident but the result of careful marketing and money in politics.” (just read this during one of my speed-reading ventures…sounds about right…especially the “careful marketing and money in politics”–lord, yes!)