Until a few years ago, I would wake up, have some coffee, feed the animals and take a few minutes to catch up on their news.

It became something of a habit, a reflex, and it took me a while to see that the news is very much about greed and money. Hatred, violence, and anxiety sell, they draw people like bees to pollen.

I want to understand what is happening in the world, but I realized how I started my day was important. And their news was not how I wished to start my day.

So I decided to begin the day with something beautiful, something loving, something pure.

Sometimes it is a dog herding sheep, sometimes it’s Maria talking with her donkeys, sometimes  it’s the sun coming over the mountains or a beautiful sky, sometimes it’s barn cats cuddling, or it’s a dog sitting on a mule or chasing a chipmunk, sometimes it’s a portrait of a sheep.

Last night, I put up a photo of Issachar snuggling with me, a first for me.

This morning, it was the sight of Maria and Issachar, one of our new wool sheep, cuddling by the hay feeder. This is a people sheep.

This is how I wish to start my day today,  or every day, and I can tell you, this is the news I wish to see in the morning.

How I begin each day is important, it shapes the hours to come, it sets the tone. It’s a choice.

I am grateful I can choose between this scene, or all those angry and disconnected people shouting at one another on TV. I don’t wish to begin the day angry, or upset. This image gives me hope and comfort.

I hope some of these photos do the same for you, that’s sort of the point.

This is about life and love and the natural world. The big news around here.

People can devour one another if they choose, I’m on a different path.