The Key to Happiness

A Special Friend & A Patch of Green

I woke up this morning feeling pure joy. It came from dreaming and thinking about an animal that lives here. She is the source of pure joy. She has no prejudices, no neurosis, no anxieties, and she is always gentle, thoughtful, playful and happy. As a result, she has an awful lot of friends, both human and animal. This is Misty.

(Above) Misty with friends, animal and human.

Happiness is one thing, but feeling pure joy is quite another. What gives you happiness and what gives you “pure joy”? If you live and work in a city, I’m going to bet that one source is when you have the chance to get out into nature. Whether it is a city park or an outing to the mountains or ocean, that breath of fresh air is probably the most refreshing experience you have captured by breaking away from the city. You probably dream of spending more time there.

I did this art print of Misty “on top of the world” because being around her gives those around her that kind of feeling. Wouldn’t we all like to find our “Misty”? Don’t we all need a bit more happiness and joy in our lives? An escape from the concrete city filled with unpleasantness, crowding, waiting in traffic and the resulting pollution?

“An escape from the concrete city filled with unpleasantness, crowding, waiting in traffic and the resulting pollution?”

My Medical Journal tells me that a walk in a green environment can reshape the brain, recalibrate sense of time, and stave off mental health conditions.

(Above) My Mum on a camping trip after working long days at Hallmark in Kansas City (where my Dad also worked).

Dr. William Bird (Intelligent Health CEO) says this: "Our brains are designed to connect to nature…and we haven't lost that instinct," he explained. "Once we are with birdsong and water flowing and greenery, cortisol levels drop, our central vagus nerve improves, our fight and flight [response] disappears, and we start to be more receptive to other people." 

(Above) Our Art Studio in rural Northern California, home of “Furlandia”.

So, that is how I start the day. In this green patch, with Misty and the other 60 animals in Furlandia. I make the rounds to feed and/or care for each of them. Currently, they range in size from a Donkey to a new batch of tiny kittens.

Dogs, chickens, a raccoon, and lots of adult cats. Not to mention the birds, butterflies and hummingbirds that we seduce with our slightly exotic sanctuary/garden of fruits, vegetables and flowers.

The seductive smell of the Angel’s Trumpets brings a smile in the morning

The seductive smell of the Brugmansia (AKA Angel’s Trumpet) lingers from the night and drifts into the early morning. This is home. Not just for us, but for all manner of animals, birds and insects.

(Above) Brugmansia AKA “Angel’s Trumpet” greets visitors to our Art Studio

My sense of time now is much different than when I worked in the city, commuting to another city for work, always under some pressure, whether during the drive or in the strange “social” setting called the “business office”. Time doesn’t stand still for me, but it has lost its speed and urgency.

I still work, in fact, more than I ever have. I have paintings and sculptures in multiple cities, galleries and museums. I have enough work to do to carry me way into the next Century. But the pressure to “produce” is pleasantly reduced to slow motion.

So, have you had your “touch of green” today? Twenty minutes in the park, the garden, a wooded walking path, or other open spaces will change your life!

What about “Animals”?

Talking about the "animals" is pretty misleading. Standing here right now, overseeing a miniature cat that is trying to get some food, despite the bigger cats constantly taking her food away from her, I realise just how much we have in common with these creatures. I also recognise just how attached I am to them - all of them. Our feelings about each other are individual based and our emotional connections are all unique. Everyone here is a unique individual and I treat them that way. When one is hurt or dies, my heart also suffers. We are all connected.

I love that, for the most part, these creatures living here do not discriminate. Skin colour, gender, sexual preference, spirituality - none of these things get in the way of being connected. People will tell me that, for instance, "cats and dogs don't get along". But we have observed that, when taught, they do get along just fine. There can be exceptions, and we have learned to deal with that aspect.

(Above) Cindy and her best friend Luna.

Animals that refuse to be "connected" usually have a good reason to feel that way. And in every single case we've seen the cause of that abnormality is related to a human interaction that has traumatised that animal. Some are able to work through it, some don't seem to be able.

But even abused animals live here. Some have learned to trust us and the other animals. Some have to have special handling. Some only relate to one of us caretakers. Sometimes they will bond with another animal - one that has not been abused - and they will adopt some of the trusting behaviour of that companion.

Menacing growls, savage barking and occasional yelps are coming from the pasture. I can hear the donkey running from a pack of German Shepards and it is giving me a cold sweat as I put on my boots and head outside. It is 2:30 A.M. I grab the whip that I keep hanging on the barn door and unlatch the huge wooden door that leads to the pasture.

The sound of the huge door opening with its huge protesting hinges causes the barking and growling to stop abruptly and Nugoro the donkey is heading in my direction. He stops in front of me, breathing heavy and sweating. I hear the pasture fencing quiver as the dog pack disappears into the dark. Nugoro and I can breathe again. Years of this kind of event has made a bond between us. Nugoro knows we are there for him when it matters most.

As I close the pasture door and hang the whip up, I see Sally, the blind raccoon, sitting on the cat food landing. The smell of my sweat has her attention, and she points her nose in my direction. But she recognises my scent and quickly goes back to eating her late-night meal.

This is all part of taking care of 50-75 animals ("great and small"). It requires a lot of patience, observation, and understanding. It also absolutely requires us to treat each animal with respect as a unique individual.

In the end, using the term animals is strange to me. I refer to the “persons” here. And Misty is one of the VIPs here – a Very Important Person.

Now, go get your patch of “green”! And if you can’t, then get Alexa to play you one of the songs that are known to make people feel happy: “I Got You” (I Feel Good) by James Brown, Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder, All You Need Is Love the Beatles, “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel, “Get the Party Started” by P!nk, Mr. Blue Sky by ELO, “Love Train” by The O’Jays, “Timber” by Pitbull and Kesha, Three Little Birds by Bob Marley, “House Party” by Sam Hunt or Happy With You by Paul McCartney. Put the phone down and try it. You know you need a little more happiness in your life!

PS. If you have any ideas for finding happiness - through music, reading, art, relationships,etc. PLEASE leave a comment with your thoughts. We all need more Love & Happiness!