Sometimes the smallest moments teach us the biggest truths about one another and about ourselves. In the rolling green pastures of a small farm in Austria, a gentle Swiss Brown cow named Veronika quietly surprised the world. For years she lived not as livestock, but as a beloved companion, walking the fields, feeling grass beneath her hooves, greeted each morning by the voice of her human friend. Along the way, something remarkable happened. Veronika began using objects around her not out of training or performance, but out of need, curiosity, and understanding. What captures our hearts isn’t simply that she picked up a stick or a brush. It’s how she used it with purpose. She learned to choose the right end of a tool. The bristled side of a deck brush to scratch her back. The smoother side to gently rub more sensitive places she couldn’t reach. Her actions weren’t random. She selected, adjusted, and used the tool with clear intention, showing awareness of her body, her surroundings, and the problem she wanted to solve. Scientists say this is the first documented case of tool use in a cow, a milestone that gently expands how we understand animal intelligence and invites us to look with more curiosity and kindness at those we’ve long taken for granted. Veronika didn’t perform for applause. She didn’t seek a spotlight. She simply figured out how to make her life more comfortable. And in doing so, she reminds us that intelligence, empathy, and ingenuity aren’t limited to the animals we already admire. They often live quietly in those we overlook. May her story encourage us to look more closely at the beings we share this world with and to listen with open hearts. 💛 Watch a short video of Veronika here.

I learned something tonight that made me laugh so hard I had to share it. Did you ever hear this growing up? “Don’t let a praying mantis spit in your eye. You’ll go blind.” I had not. But after a good laugh and some skillful Googling, we learned it was a case of mistaken identity. Praying mantises do not spit. But the two striped walking stick bug has a defensive spray mechanism that could easily be mistaken for spitting. They can activate this gem if you are bold, curious, or making questionable life choices and put your face too close. At that point, congratulations. You've won a memorable life experience and a same day appointment with your eye doctor. The spray is not poisonous or acidic. It is, however, very good at making you regret your decisions. And while going blind is incredibly unlikely, so is getting sprayed in the eye by a two striped walking stick bug… yet here we are talking about it. So what is the takeaway? Marvel at these fascinating creatures. Appreciate them from a respectful distance. And please, keep your eyes to yourself.