Today I saved a life. It was a small life, but nonetheless still a life. It belonged to a mouse.
Two weeks ago, I started hearing loud crunching noises under the stove in the evening while I was quietly reading in the living room. I imagined it was a mouse because I have heard them before in past houses. I have destroyed them before.
This crunching became a nightly ritual. Crunching, me going into the kitchen, crunching stops, and then resumes when I returned to my book. I don’t know what she was chewing on because I saw no evidence in any food. I assumed this mouse was a she and I hoped there was not a nest of babies. She was just hungry. Aren’t we all? I hoped important appliance wires were not getting ruined with her appetite.
I decided that she needed to go and find a new home elsewhere. I wanted to trap her not to kill her. I have done the latter many times and I stopped after I witnessed the actual moment when a mouse’s neck got in the way of the wire trap. It was an image I did not like. I only have one little mouse, not a plague of them, I can get rid of this inconvenience humanely.
I finally found a humane trap at the hardware store and set it under the stove. Last night while reading I heard the faint snap of the trap door; I knew she had taken the bait. It was only after I heard her banging around in the small plastic trap that I decided to deal with the situation at ten o’clock at night instead of the morning. I put the mouse-filled plastic trap in a shoe box and placed it outside. I hoped she would not get too cold.
The instructions for the humane trap said to let the mouse loose two miles away from the house. Early this morning I walked one quarter of a mile from my house to a little woodsy area, deciding that this was far enough away so she would not find her way back. I felt good, like something special was about to happen and that I had a secret none of the neighbors knew about.
At the woods I opened the box, and nothing happened. No quick action from her to escape. I looked in, to see her crouching, wet, and startled with dark eyes starring me. It was at that moment I knew I was doing the right thing, saving her life. She was so scared, and I realized she was a part of nature that I touched for a moment. Putting the box on the grass, I told her it was safe to leave. She cautiously walked out and stopped in the grass. After a few seconds she slowly wandered into the deeper weeds, hopefully to reclaim a new home.
This was a very mindful moment for me as my concentration was only on her and the stillness around us. I was reminded how precious life is, no matter the form.
Seeing her go into the woods left me with a good feeling. I had saved her. I had connected with another creature of nature, even if it was only a mouse. It reminded me of the power of our world, our universe.
My hope is that you slow down and find your special mindful moments where you connect with a special piece of nature. It brings a sense of peace and appreciation for being alive.
Miss Mouse is on her own now and her fate is in her paws, or maybe someone else’s. I am left with that mindful moment at the edge of the woods and the mess to clean up under the stove. I feel good and all is well.
Smiles,
Jeanette
“In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it, and over it.” Goethe
Category: Gratitude
Smile, Even When There is Not a Camera
Yesterday I was reminded of the importance of a smile, even if just for me. This all started when I decided to go to the grocery store. I was excited about shopping for healthy food choices for the week because I had not done any major shopping for awhile. This excitement changed once I got in the store and was reminded that it was a Monday, the day for restocking shelves and replenishing home supplies after the weekend. It was busy. The rainy day was also making it a destination place, adding to the blocked aisles.
I felt myself getting irritated, but then I smiled. Yes, I was wearing my mask, but I still smiled. The irritation I started to feel cued me to smile, and I immediately felt better. Instead of being miffed over the busyness in the store, I reminded myself to be grateful that I was able to be out and about in the store and that I could afford to shop for what I wanted. My smile led to a deep relaxing breath and away I went to fill my cart.
The reminder to smile actually started that morning during my reading. I came across the quote “…meet life head on with a smile.” It led me to think deeper about the value of a smile and the happiness it can bring. It brought up memories of my mother telling me to always smile and show my teeth, “It makes you look so much prettier”. If a smile can lead to a pretty attitude, then I am all for it.
Smiling and humor also has health benefits: improved mood, pain relief, lowered blood pressure, stronger immune systems, stress reliever, better relationships, and a younger appearance.
I spent the next hour in the grocery store smiling. And even if other shoppers could not see my smile, I know they could see the twinkle reflected in my eyes. Especially at the checkout counter when I saw the bill. Of course, I was smiling, twinkling, and having a nice conversation with the check-out lady, appreciative for the items I was able to purchase. I hope you find and share your smile today.
Smiles,
Jeanette
“Use your smile to change the world, don’t let the world change your smile.”
Chinese Proverb
Giving Thanks
This week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day, and for most this day will be different due to concerns with Covid-19. We will stay home but this day will still bring up memories of past Thanksgivings and family.
I loved waking up to the smell of butter and celery as my mother made homemade stuffing for the turkey. My mother and her sisters shared the hosting of Thanksgiving, so we were at a different house every year. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who had nowhere else to go would fill the house to share in food and camaraderie.
Unlike today, the word gratitude was not openly used in my family. But the warm and thankful feelings of being together was always present. I was taught to say “thank you” in response to an adult doing something nice for me. We used phrases like “Isn’t this nice that Aunt Kay made her homemade rolls” or “I love Aunt Susan’s pumpkin pie!” This was our expression of love and gratitude for the good things we were fortunate to have.
I think that being grateful became something I took for granted. I knew that I was loved and that I had a warm house, but did I really spend time thinking about how fortunate I was? No. I probably took everything for granted and I do not like admitting this.
But what I know today, learned through my coaching practice, studies in self-help and psychology, and my life’s experiences, is that the more you appreciate things the more things will appear for you to be appreciative of. And these things can be anything big or small. I know that I feel happier and energized when I notice and give thanks for all the abundance that I have in my life right now.
I know these are challenging times. My wish for you is that you awaken every day with something to be thankful for and that you greet the day glad to be alive. Surround yourself with love even if only by Zoom and be appreciative of every bite of wonderful food, especially the stuffing.
Happy Thanksgiving
Jeanette