Crank Up Your Noggin

It’s raining cats and dogs here—and pigs and horses, too.

There’s a strange sound in a corner of the room. I hope it’s just the wind reaching under the front door to stir up some mischief. In case it isn’t, I’m sticking to the couch.

I woke before 4 this morning. Not to practice early rising for Friday’s Royal Wedding, not for any purpose at all. Just couldn’t sleep. So I begin my Tuesday with a deep-roasted coffee and a few words for you.

What would you like to read today?

Ah, I have an idea. Let’s begin with a riddle:

“They don’t complain; they are not manipulators of the world. They cope. They feel but just don’t make a fuss. They think positively and are incredibly tolerant: ‘Well, here I am. How can I make the most of it?’ They have such serenity. And remember, they have a huge brain.”

That’s Marthe Kiley-Worthington, then of Little Ash Eco-Farm in England. Who is she describing? Or, to give you a clue, what species is she describing?

What? You want another clue? The answer is in Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson’s The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: The Emotional Life of Farm Animals. A Jane Smiley book title features the sound these creatures make.

C’mon—hazard a guess in the comments section.

Or, if you don’t want to share, take a moment to consider how tolerant, positive, and serene you are—not just occasionally but every day. I struggle to attain such calm (my clash with the César Millan devotée a perfect example).

Where are you on the Serenity Spectrum?

[Art by Franz Marc.]