There’s great pleasure in the simple experiences of life, especially those involving interactions with other living creatures. I’m currently spending my holiday traveling around the country with my partner and our 2 dogs and there are so many moments that give me pleasure.

I’ll look back and see the two of them snuggling together, sleeping, the boy with his head on the girl’s back and I smile.

We go swimming with them at the beach and I call her to come into the water, but she’s nervous, not sure about the waves, but she wants to be with us so she reticently paws at the water and then jumps forwards and swims to us. That warms my heart.

In the morning as I’m waking up in bed, the boy will hear my body shifting and come to the side of the bed, jump up and put his front paws on the bed and snuggle his snout into my face and neck, tail wagging excitedly. I know that he knows it’s time for his food now, but it still makes me happy and appreciated.

Our lives are becoming more and more complex and distracting, with so many different sources of potential excitement and stimulation bombarding us and vying for our attention. Yet increasingly it’s the simple, personal interactions with other living creatures (humans included) that I’m seeking out and that bring meaning to my life.