Random Thoughts

[rabernet]

Today I'm cleaning tubs for my collection, and as I'm doing so, I'm taking time to handle each animal, and appreciate each one for their own unique beauty and thinking just how blessed that I am to have each one in my collection, and how honored I am to provide them with the best care that I know how. And I realize (although I've always known) that I love each of them just because they "are".

I think many of us with larger collections ask ourselves - if I ever had to cut back my collection, who would I keep and who would I let go? I've got a couple who are definite top favorites (Winston and Pretzel come to mind). I haven't handled Echo much for the past two seasons, because she's been in the breeding rotation both years, and I try to minimize handling (and stress) to my breeding females. This season she's taking the season off, and I was cleaning her tub, and she had just shed, and I was just taken in with the irredescence of her new skin, the sleekness of it, and the raw strength in her body. She's "just" a normal, but one of the first baby girls I raised up when I started in this. She's a quiet and steady presence in my collection and one of only three that resides in my bedroom. My heart just burst with love for this amazing creature and the gifts she's already given me.

And then my thoughts moved on to all the amazing individual people that I've had the honor of getting to know through this hobby. Sure, there's an ugly political side to this hobby, but I choose to not dwell on that part, and focus on the people in my life that I know love their animals as much as I love mine - that RESPECT their animals as much as I respect mine.

And I feel very blessed today - and enriched for sharing my life with these amazing creatures, and some amazing people - many of them members of this very forum!