Yesterday I took my dog for a walk to the river. The cat-who-thinks-she’s-a-dog followed along; disappearing beneath the overgrown buttercups and grass in the horse pasture, her fuzzy tail bobbing as she bounded amongst the green. The sun was shining, bright and stretching across the summer turned leaves and the soft blue sky.

I had to carry the cat-who-thinks-she’s-a-dog most of the way, for as she dishearteningly finds out every single time she tries to keep up with the retriever; she is not, in fact, a dog. When we reached the river I sat down amongst the moss and watched Fergus, bright eyed and funny looking as he frolicked and dove through the gentle stream.

Effortlessly content. The kind of simple happy that reaches every piece of ones body, like stretching out in the sunshine or stepping under a hot shower. Covered in joy, and jumping, rolling, spinning in the clear river.

I think it’s contagious. This “simple happy”, it rubs off on those around you… even when the source is a floppy eared, funny looking golden retriever and a fat, panting, purring tabby cat. I felt it spread, because right there… in that moment, there really was nothing else to be worried about. Only sunshine peaking through maple trees, moss covered rocks and long grass that is meant to be jumped over, rolled in and raced through.

How like children these animals are, their world only as big as what they see in front of them, and perfect at that.

There are so many lessons around us if we take the time to look. Like the rabbit-who-thinks-she’s-a-cat, named Zoey by my brother, but called Juliet by me (I swear she is constantly searching for the long lost rabbit romeo. She acts like a love sick teenager). Someone needs to tell these animals that they are defying the rules of nature… Cats are not supposed to be best friends with rabbits, dogs aren’t supposed to carry kittens when they get tired. They’re the most unlikely of friends, a bunny that chews her wires to reach her best friend cat, and a cat who chases after the dog in order to join in on the games.

I’ll never understand their relationship, but what I do know is that there is a lot we can learn from it.