This morning Doc and received a phone call that a dear friend of ours had passed away during the night. Of course I went straight to my computer to send out the announcement to friends and co-workers who knew this day was coming.
As I was typing and trying to focus, my dog Liesel was making unusual whimpering noises. It was as if one of her toys was under the sofa or something, and she was determined to have it. I was not to be bothered with her at that time. Then Doc hollered that Sheila (his dog – Chihuahua) had a gopher in her mouth and it was still squirming! Liesel was demanding to have that new furry toy.
Suddenly there was a new Urgent Matter to attend to. I ran into the kitchen yelling at Sheila. “LEAVE IT!” “DROP IT!”. Finally she complied. I managed to get both dogs into the laundry room before heading back to the kitchen. Racing thoughts here: “Ugg! Gross! The poor thing. I can’t let it suffer, but I dread the thought of killing it. How did a gopher get to be in my kitchen? Doc, you are the male in this situation – YOU deal with it! How am I going to get it out of here? Get a shovel from outside? How will I kill it?”
I took a deep breath and grabbed some paper towels. The furry creature was still wiggling and dragging itself across the kitchen floor. Oh Lord. I did NOT need this today. I somewhat shut my eyes and scooped up the fur ball.
When I dared to look at the animal to see the extent of its injuries, I realized it was a tiny scared bunny! The hind legs seemed weak, the fur was slobbered on, but there appeared to be no puncture wounds!
In ONE MOMENT my entire attitude was changed because I had more facts and understanding. When I realized the TRUTH about the situation, it became a totally different mindset. Instead of “This is miserable, how will I kill the gopher?” it was now “The poor little bunny, how can I help it?”
How often in our daily lives are we faced with situations where we jump to conclusions, then operate out of FEAR and Dread versus Understanding and LOVE? Once we see TRUTH, we have the opportunity for a much different experience.
What a lesson!
P.S. The tiny bunny was gently carried to the flower garden outside. I watched it stagger a little, then tentatively hop away into the plants. JOY Moment.
