Ever since I was a toddler, I have had a domestic pet living with me. At first, it’s really fun. I mean, your very own animal! Living right there where you can play with it, touch it, and talk with it every single day.
But as I grew older, I just found them as a boring hassle. Just another job that needed to be taken care of. When I was getting home late one night, I stumbled over my outdoor cat. He let out a loud shriek and I begged him to forgive me, even though I knew he knew nothing of what I was saying.
As I walked into the door that took me inside my warm and loving home, I had a new prospective. I went back outside and looked into my cats eyes. I didn’t need to beg him for forgiveness, he already forgave me. He knows that we are all clumsy and do things we regret.
Like that time he ran through the house and almost broke a valuable item brought down in my family over hundreds of years. I had a hard time forgiving him and letting him back inside after that. But he…he knew to forgive me. Right then. Right there.
No one told him to. No one scolded and said, “If you don’t forgive her…” He came up to my legs and brushed against them. He meowed softly and sweetly. One of my favorite sounds he makes. He began purring and it seemed as if he totally forgot what had happened a minute ago.
I believe that animals forgive and forget because the love and compassion you show them always show in the ending.