Do you have that one friend that is always going on about something? Or is there someone in your life who is always talking making noise? Take a deep breath, close your eyes and be patient. Show compassion, everyone needs to make some noise every now and then.

Artists have depicted goats from times prior to their domestication. Goats in art often represent optimism, fertility and renewal. In 1950, artist Pablo Picasso was inspired by feelings of optimism and hope and crafted a sculpture entitled, The She-Goat. The unique sculpture was crafted from discarded items he collected in the neighboring fields where potters would throw rubbish. The She-Goat is life-sized, and was created from bits of a wicker basket, metal sheets, palm fronds and ceramic baskets. She is pregnant and bears an optimistic expression. What can we reclaim and renew for an optimistic future?

 

 

Passeggiata is an Italian custom of taking an evening stroll to socialize, often to mark the end of the work day and the beginning of relaxing with family and friends. Life can get so busy, sometimes setting the time aside for a relaxing stroll with a friend can help us slow down, relax and enjoy life.

Nothing is permanent, and the world is always in a state of change. Today you may feel boxed in or constrained, but tomorrow could bring the liberation you are hoping for. Fear not friends, life can transform into something amazing, so stay positive. I hope you all had a lovely weekend and are motivated for a fantastic week ahead.

Sundays are great days to catch up with family friends. Goats are social creatures, many live in groups called herds that roam around browsing for nutritious and delicious greens and living the great goat life. I hope that whatever configuration your herd is that you get some time to catch up and perhaps share a delicious meal with them sometime soon.

Sometimes it’s ok to not know what to do. Sometimes it’s better to take a moment of stillness before you take action. Sometimes you just have to stare out into the void and give inspiration a moment to appear. I hope you all are having a lovely Saturday afternoon and if you are confused, anxious or befuddled that you can have a moment of stillness as well.

Sometimes a change in perspective is all you need to have a fantastic day, week and weekend. While everyone else is on the ground, take a few steps up to see things from a different point of view. Who knows? It might be comfortable up there. I wish you all a lovely weekend.

One of my first memories of goats was when I was about five years old at a petting zoo. A wily black and white goat snatched away my denim purse with his mouth. I was stunned, but figured that perhaps the goat had a better use for a purse than I did.

With four stomachs, goats can digest a lot of things; however, contrary to popular myths about goats eating tin cans and garbage, goats are rather discriminating about their diet. Rather than gobbling up everything that comes their way, if a goat tries to nibble at your jacket or your shoes they are just giving them an experimental chew before they decide to actually eat it.  Perhaps the “experimental chew” strategy of consumption for goats can be useful for humans. Be curious about the world, you never know what opportunity is going to be an unappetizing tin can or a delicious, nutritious bright orange carrot.

 

Capra hircus, otherwise known as the domesticated goat, began to live in herds alongside humans approximately 11,000 years ago. There were likely multiple places where domestication occurred independently. Goats, amongst the first and perhaps the first domesticates, were a pivotal factor in the shift from hunting and gathering societies to pastoral/agrarian lifestyles associated with what anthropologists and archaeologists call the Neolithic Revolution. Although most reports will cite goats’ milk and by-products as the reasons for domestication, I think that companionship was a big part of the process too. I wish you success in all of your pursuits, revolutionary or otherwise.

Amazingly,  there are over 300 breeds of goat, all of which likely originated from the same general region in western Asia in the Zagros Mountains. Now, goats populate every corner of the planet with the notable exception of Antarctica. Spreading out across the globe requires resilience, a quality that humans and goats appear to share. I hope that you can find resilience in your present and future challenges, and are able to explore wherever your heart desires.