I just saved an unusual mouse.

Usually, I let my cats take care of problems like this, but both kept running between the bathroom and the couch where I was reading as if to say “come on mom, see what we have”.  I got up and caught a glimpse of his small gray self as he ran into a corner and put both paws over his eyes as if to say “I can’t see you I must be safe now”. He did this 5 different times, each time putting paws over eyes once settled into a safe hiding place. Finally, I was able to put a trash basket over him and scoop him into captivity.

As I put the mouse outside, I thought of glue traps and poisons. I thought of the many ways we torture so called pests in the name of claiming our space.  Unconscious neighbors that trap mother squirrels from their attics in the spring not thinking of the babies left behind.  Poisons left out for rodents that are accidentally ingested by cats, and even plastic bags that fly through the air and land tangled tightly over bird nests.  The biggest heart breaker of all, as we’ve done it without thinking twice,  is to toss food on to the side of the road thinking “oh, the animals will eat it”.  Sadly they do; oftentimes giving up their lives to be hit by a car as they venture out to see what treat has come their way.  Birds get gum caught in their beaks and wild life  come out onto the road to sniff your peppermint cast aways.

Google humane pest control and you’ll see a multitude of options that keep not only your space clean, but your heart clear.

It’s little gestures in life that bestow grace onto the world; each decision we make either spreads more of that grace or robs another creature of it’s own portion.

xo

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net by Salvatore Vuono.