What do a flock of pigeons and squirrels have in common? Love and connection.

I was driving past an area where there was a flock of pigeons. As I was approaching this area, I saw the whole flock making a tight circle around one of the pigeons who had died. Despite cars driving by, the pigeons would not move away from the body. They were focusing all their energy on their lost member. There, on the side of the road for all the passing cars to notice, was an expression of love.

On another occasion, while driving, I saw a dead squirrel on the road and its mate was trying to pull it back up onto the sidewalk. The mate was so scared every time a car drove by, it ran back up on the curb as if to acknowledge that its partner was hit by a car. Seeing this whole scenario play out broke my heart. No one could console that squirrel that just lost its partner. It was all alone trying desperately to bring its lost mate over the curb so it could be with the body somewhere safe.

In each of these instances, my heart was heavy feeling the grief they were experiencing.

Grief is an expression of love and these displays of grief are no different than the displays we show when we experience a loss.  These animals are conscious beings with families and traditions, who can love and be loved.

We are not the only species capable of love. Beings much smaller than us have a similar ability to experience and feel the magnitude and depth of love. When we can deeply understand this, we will be living in a world where all beings are respected, honored, and shown compassion.

Photos courtesy of Richard Sagredo and Miha Rekar