When, years from now, you are asked by your adoring fans what the moment was that turned your life around, you will answer briefly but cryptically: “It all started with a goofy dog successfully entertaining a baby …”
A goofy dog successfully entertaining a baby:
What this picture teaches us: That comedy is subjective and the real trick to getting a laugh is understanding your audience.
An evil, half-vampire hedgehog warming up after a long night of terrorizing the living:
What this picture teaches us: That even the truly evil enjoy a bit of a snuggle every now and then.
An unexpected but extremely welcome visit:
What this picture teaches us: That the walls we raise around ourselves keep us from the essential business of life.
What this picture teaches us: That all this stuff we learned in the last lesson about breaking down our barriers and so forth is all well and good, but you shouldn’t touch people if they don’t seem like they want you to.
A cat who is unimpressed by the weather report:
What this picture teaches us: That, as the famous expression goes, “No matter how important you think you are, you should always stop along the road of life to pick up the cats and let them lick your beard.”
An anonymous hero helping out some ducklings in their hour of need:
What this picture teaches us: That just because ducklings are at the top of their adorableness game when they’re in distress doesn’t mean that you should stand around idly.
An orphaned pony whose best friend is a concerned-looking teddy bear:
What this picture teaches us: That, if you have the opportunity to get your hands on an orphaned pony and a giant teddy bear, it will be a GREAT investment, even though you may lose some money on straw expenditures over the years.
A dramatic bunny somersault:
What this picture teaches us: That bunny gymnastics is an extremely underappreciated spectator sport and somebody needs to tell ESPN2 about it immediately.
A miserable cat being pushed in a parambulator:
What this picture teaches us: That sometimes life throws you a curveball, and other times life just goes ahead and hits you with the pitch.
A cat who is almost certainly about to start a sentence with the phrase, “I don’t always sit on cat trees …”
What this picture teaches us: That if a cat ever starts talking to you and there is an Escher painting in the background, you may not be getting enough sleep.
A blind stray being comforted by his newly adoptive brother.
What this picture teaches us: That love is illuminating.
The weird canine equivalent of a couple walking around with their hands in each others’ pockets:
What this picture teaches us: That humans got a totally unfair deal when all the tails got handed out.
An overweight hamster angrily eating a tiny pizza:
What this picture teaches us: That we’re not always going to be satisfied by the simple things in life, but we may as well eat them and wait to see if there’s a second course.
An English bulldog trying to decide whether she likes being licked by a cow:
What this picture teaches us: That you should always keep your mind open to new bovine experiences.
A pug having a bad time on a road trip:
What this picture teaches us: That you should always remember to call “shotgun” as soon as you’re in sight of the car.
A wistful cat pining for her beloved:
What this picture teaches us: That there is apparently a Cat War in the works, and that we should be careful and probably extremely worried.
A kitten getting booped by an ingenious fuzzy ball on a spring:
What this picture teaches us: That, for a boop connoisseur, the very best boops will surprise and delight all at once.
An extremely enthusiastic cat hug-attacking a bored dog:
What this picture teaches us: That surprise hug attacks are not the dangerous scourge that the sensationalistic media tries to make them out to be.
A chow puppy who can’t get out of a bowl:
What this picture teaches us: That when the restaurant asks you if you’d like a bowl of chow instead of a side salad, you should just go with it.
The most terrifying hiccup of all time:
What this picture teaches us: That Marcus Aurelius was prescient indeed when he said, “Never let the [hiccup] disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”
Two hugging kittens simultaneously sleep-yawning:
What this picture teaches us: That the highly controversial theory that the universe began not with the expansion of concentrated matter from a single point but with a powerful and devastating simultaneous sleep yawn is at least slightly more credible than we had previously thought.
A fierce lion of the savannah terrorizing his helpless prey:
What this picture teaches us: That not for all the riches of Croesus would any person in their right mind choose to share the plight of the lowly plastic giraffe, even for a day.
A joyful moment between a boy and his chicken:
What this picture teaches us: That even a complete lack of arms cannot impede the truly determined cuddler.
The dramatic Charge of the Feline Light Brigade:
What this picture teaches us: That when you hear your cat muttering, “Theirs not to make reply / Theirs not to reason why / Theirs but to do and die!” from the next room, you should either call the police or go and give the rocking horse another push.
A pug in a lifejacket triumphantly facing her destiny:
What this picture teaches us: That we can never know the exact moment when we will realize what we were put on this Earth for, but let’s all hope it happens while we’re on the beach so we can have a daquiri in the sun while we’re mulling it over.
A smug seal saying, “Am I right guys?”:
What this picture teaches us: That what seal humorists lack in the craftsmanship of their jokes, they more than make up for with their charm.
A brave cat making an unexpected friend:
What this picture teaches us: That while tentative head-stroking is not always the best course of action when you meet a stranger, it can very occasionally work out in everyone’s favor.
A nosy neighbor who is highly suspicous of the new fake raven decoration:
What this picture teaches us: That we should be tolerant of our neighbors and only snoop around in their stuff when we’re certain they’re not watching.
And two best friends riding off into the sunset:
What this picture teaches us: That love may very well be the engine that drives us, but if you want to go somewhere in a plastic car you’re simply going to have to use your feet.