October 27th. It was a typical evening for me. I was resting from a day of working with students, sitting through staff meetings, and planning out various upcoming events. I was now home and decompressing.
And that's when I saw it!
Yep- A MOUSE!
And at that moment I did not resort to my emotion of old- fear. My gut response to the situation startled me more than the actual mouse sighting.
I became inquisitive and went to the very place I saw him run. As I rummaged through my closet in a fit, to almost dare him to resurface, I began to wonder who this person was!
And as I think about my actions, I am actually glad he didn't reappear because I have no clue how I would have responded.
Remarkably, as I slept that night there was not a restlessness at wondering where he was and what he may be looking for in the crevices of my closet.
For me, this was a huge step of growth.
As I walk though life I'm learning that we are all up against things that impede our growth. Whether they be fears, insecurities, attitudes or behaviour.
Mine? My fear of mice.
Statements like, "He's more afraid of you than you are of him!", and "You're so much bigger than him" ,although meant to help, had often left me feeling silly and inadequate.
What has helped me combat this fear has been my writing. The creation of my book "Furry Mouse" has been therapeutic in tackling that fear.
But I also understand that writing may not be the answer to the other areas of my life where growth is needed. However, I'm appreciative that it has guided me in this instance.
So for now, I've laid out the traps and am making a trip this week to purchase steel wool to plug up holes in my closet.
And if for some reason I do catch him, I have certain people on speed dial to come remove him.
Yes, someone has to remove the mouse...that's the next hurdle-one that I'm still working out!
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