NATIONAL PET WEEK and BE KIND TO ANIMALS WEEK.

Sunday, May 6th: Today (and this week) is a ‘two-fer’. The week honors two different causes, yet they go hand-n-hand. It’s NATIONAL PET WEEK and BE KIND TO ANIMALS WEEK.

National Pet Week has a web page with helpful advice for pet owners, such as 7 foods to avoid, pets in vehicles (good to think about as the hot summer advances), 8 things you can do to protect your dog in the summer, and more. See their site at: http://www.petweek.org/pet-owners.html

Be Kind to Animals Week, sponsored by the American Humane Association since 1915, commemorates the role animals play in our lives, promotes ways to continue to treat them humanely, and encourages others, especially children, to do the same.

They advocate:

Speak out for animals: Get informed about policies and legislation that can impact the animals in your community and throughout the country.

Report animal abuse: Animal cruelty and abuse is not only tragic for animals, but also an indicator that other forms of abuse such as domestic violence could be happening. If you see something that looks suspicious — a dog chained in your neighbor’s yard that looks underfed, a child putting a cat in a box and kicking it around the yard — don’t hesitate. Let someone know.

Appreciate wildlife: All animals deserve to be treated humanely — family pets and animals in the wild. Create an inviting space in your yard and garden for butterflies, hummingbirds and other creatures. If wildlife comes too close to home, look for ways to coexist with animals or to protect your property humanely.

Adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue: Every year, an estimated 3.7 million animals must be euthanized at our nation’s shelters because they could not be adopted into loving homes. Help animals find a second chance at happiness by adopting your next pet from your local shelter or rescue group.

Take care of your pet: Pets are like children who never grow up. They need you to help keep them healthy and safe throughout their lives. Keep your animal’s vaccinations up-to-date. Make sure he’s wearing proper identification. Take your pet to the veterinarian regularly. Know what it takes to be a responsible pet owner.

View their site for more information: http://www.americanhumane.org/interaction/programs/be-kind-to-animals-week/

Celebrate life; ours and our pets!

NATIONAL MEDITATION MONTH

Saturday, May 5^th: We can celebrate this occasion all month long, with long lasting benefits. It’s NATIONAL MEDITATION MONTH. This is a month long campaign “to educate the public about the physical, emotional and mental benefits of meditation.” Annually celebrated in May, it’s sponsored by The Deep Calm, an organization committed to creating awareness about meditation and its link to inner peace and peace in the world.

Elesa Commerse at www.thedeepcalm.com states that meditation has been proven to: Relieve stress, Improve mental clarity and memory, Reduce heart rate, Lower blood pressure, Reduce muscle tension, and Enhance an overall sense of well-being.

They also claim that “meditation can be used within your own cultural and religious background to: alleviate suffering, help you show up for life, calm your body and mind, relieve stress, develop patience, enhance concentration, help you live from a place of intention, make you more available to peace and joy, help you demonstrate more compassion for yourself and others, mitigate anger and frustration, release tension in the body, inspire you to live with an open heart, quicken your ability and willingness to forgive, heal relationships, foster understanding, strengthen your smile muscles, help restore your flower nature, and help you realize your highest potential.”

Now, who among us can’t use more of these positive benefits in our lives?

Dr. Weil, (I admit it, he’s my all time favorite medical doctor) concurs. His website states:

“We spend all day (and sometimes all night, too!) in a whirlwind of thought. When there isn’t something particular to think about (what to eat for breakfast, the tasks of the day, or what you’re going to say in an upcoming meeting), we search restlessly for something to fill the gap-worries, hopes, television, and so on. We never allow our minds to rest. And without this precious self-healing time, our minds become exhausted and thoughts less trustworthy. Just as we need to stop moving our bodies every once in a while, we also need to stop moving our minds. But how? The idea can actually seem terrifying, not to mention impossible.

But it is quite possible. The practice of self-healing meditation is just this: resting the mind in silence and space, allowing it time to recover and rejuvenate. Meditation does not mean sitting in a perfect state of peace while having no thoughts. Big misconception! Instead, meditation is about establishing a different relationship with your thoughts, just for a little while. Instead of attention being drawn off by whatever thought happens to present itself, in meditation, you watch your thoughts from a different, more stabilized perspective. You’re training yourself to place your attention where and when you want. This is very powerful. It gives you the ability to direct your thoughts (and mood) in more productive and peaceful directions. And, as has been demonstrated in the last few years, this ability has profound self-healing implications for physical and mental health.”

View Dr. Weil’s full article on meditation at: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02791/self-healing-meditation.html

Celebrate life; celebrate meditation all month (and longer!) and the benefits will add quality of life, peace, and a healthier mind and body to your life.