Unbearable cuteness

Photo by Glen Larson

I have just spent almost three weeks with a new grandson and I can say without hesitation that babies are unbearably cute.
Of course, I already knew this. Lambs are also unbearably cute. The problem with lambs, as the shepherd, is that I frequently don’t take the time to appreciate their cuteness; I am too often more focused on getting them fed, or medicated, or rounded up, or sold. Also, there are seventy to appreciate.
The advantage of spending time with my grandson, was that all I had to do was to be with him. My normal home chores were left behind (beyond the basics of cooking, washing dishes and picking up of course) and I was allowed the luxury of focus. I learned his smiles, his pouty mouth, the difference between his hand gestures when he was exploring how his muscles worked and his hand gestures when he was hungry and wanted his mom. And the more I watched and held him, the more the feelings inside me grew. This little person, this baby, was wonderful - bright, soft, and unbearably cute.
The lambs are the same. When I can step back from my normal daily chores and appreciate the lambs, I find soft ears, beautiful tightly crimped fleeces that will make lovely yarn, curious faces, and unbearable cuteness. Perhaps that is the most important reason to raise sheep, that occasionally, I take the time to step back and recognize the unbearable cuteness, the incredible wonder, of baby animals.