Some problems you can fix, some you cant.
So I was helping a relative clean out their place today when she screams. Ooooo! A mouse!!
I look over in the corner and there on a glue trap designed for spiders is this little mouse. It looked still. So I assumed it was dead and started to calm her. Than it gave a little wiggle. Relying on my paramedic skills I remained very calm and in a quiet calm voice I said something to the effect of. Let me put it out side. At this point my relative was screaming something to the effect of Kill it. Dont touch it. Etc.
I picked it up in the glue tray and observed that it was thoroughly stuck in the glue and could not move anything but wiggle its abdomen occasionally.
Once outside I gloved up and took out my pocketknife and got to work removing it from the glue. This was a difficult and frowned upon activity by everybody, not in the least my relative who I had been helping. I got many comments from many people. But what was gross about this mouse was what had been done to it. Before the glue Im certain it would have looked like some picturesque mouse that might grace the cover of a childrens novel or a box of yuppie tea. Now all people saw was the horror of their own creation. And surprise, surprise, they wanted no part of it. WELL WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!? (Although I am venting now, for the purpose of the story note that I remained calm and almost scientific until long after this event had ended.)
I moved across the street to work in relative privacy. My experience in medicine taught me that for some ugly emergencies there are no simple solutions. Fixing some problems require calm, patient troubleshooting and yes, trial and error. After about 20 min of scraping this EXTREEMLY sticky shit off the mouse with my pocketknife and the sharp edge of the glue trap; it actually scampered away with all five (including tail) limbs separated. To give you an idea how hopeless and unlikely I thought this success would be; at one point I actually debated cutting off its tail because I couldnt see any other way to keep it from getting tangled back up in its legs.
Many people claiming to speak in the mouses best interests would readily offer the advice Kill it. Put it out of its misery. But the fact that not ONE of those people would have spent the time to unglue it let alone the nerve to cut off its tail to free it exposes the cowardice of these individuals. They arent interested in the mouses benefit. Their only interest is in their own liberation from any moral dilemma or gilt that the situation presents.
I guess the interesting part in this is I never set out to save its life. I just couldnt let it die like that. I still dont believe it will live for very long. That glue is like nothing else!
I was very polite and clam through out the whole event. I never raised my voice and never had a nervous or uncalculated response. And now that it was over I realized that my elderly family member would likely never be able to see any perspective other than her own, being highly academic. So I gave many calculated apologies, but never lied.
Afterwards we sat in mutually respectful silence. I actual felt ineffectual. It seemed I hadnt experienced the nerve-racking emotional ride she had because of my actions. We just sat there and talked about our familys history of violence and sexual abuse (her choice of subject). I found that I could respect why she would behave the way she did. I think she was afraid of her compassion.
Then my car got towed and I got a 50$ ticket.
Then I spilled a bottle of acid on my family members bathroom floor.
Some problems you can fix, some you cant.
So I was helping a relative clean out their place today when she screams. Ooooo! A mouse!!
I look over in the corner and there on a glue trap designed for spiders is this little mouse. It looked still. So I assumed it was dead and started to calm her. Than it gave a little wiggle. Relying on my paramedic skills I remained very calm and in a quiet calm voice I said something to the effect of. Let me put it out side. At this point my relative was screaming something to the effect of Kill it. Dont touch it. Etc.
I picked it up in the glue tray and observed that it was thoroughly stuck in the glue and could not move anything but wiggle its abdomen occasionally.
Once outside I gloved up and took out my pocketknife and got to work removing it from the glue. This was a difficult and frowned upon activity by everybody, not in the least my relative who I had been helping. I got many comments from many people. But what was gross about this mouse was what had been done to it. Before the glue Im certain it would have looked like some picturesque mouse that might grace the cover of a childrens novel or a box of yuppie tea. Now all people saw was the horror of their own creation. And surprise, surprise, they wanted no part of it. WELL WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!? (Although I am venting now, for the purpose of the story note that I remained calm and almost scientific until long after this event had ended.)
I moved across the street to work in relative privacy. My experience in medicine taught me that for some ugly emergencies there are no simple solutions. Fixing some problems require calm, patient troubleshooting and yes, trial and error. After about 20 min of scraping this EXTREEMLY sticky shit off the mouse with my pocketknife and the sharp edge of the glue trap; it actually scampered away with all five (including tail) limbs separated. To give you an idea how hopeless and unlikely I thought this success would be; at one point I actually debated cutting off its tail because I couldnt see any other way to keep it from getting tangled back up in its legs.
Many people claiming to speak in the mouses best interests would readily offer the advice Kill it. Put it out of its misery. But the fact that not ONE of those people would have spent the time to unglue it let alone the nerve to cut off its tail to free it exposes the cowardice of these individuals. They arent interested in the mouses benefit. Their only interest is in their own liberation from any moral dilemma or gilt that the situation presents.
I guess the interesting part in this is I never set out to save its life. I just couldnt let it die like that. I still dont believe it will live for very long. That glue is like nothing else!
I was very polite and clam through out the whole event. I never raised my voice and never had a nervous or uncalculated response. And now that it was over I realized that my elderly family member would likely never be able to see any perspective other than her own, being highly academic. So I gave many calculated apologies, but never lied.
Afterwards we sat in mutually respectful silence. I actual felt ineffectual. It seemed I hadnt experienced the nerve-racking emotional ride she had because of my actions. We just sat there and talked about our familys history of violence and sexual abuse (her choice of subject). I found that I could respect why she would behave the way she did. I think she was afraid of her compassion.
Then my car got towed and I got a 50$ ticket.
Then I spilled a bottle of acid on my family members bathroom floor.
Some problems you can fix, some you cant.
VIEW 10 of 10 COMMENTS
nancy_boy:
I almost nailed a Model last nite....
nancy_boy:
no Its that whole...."I like being the Hot one' thing...pluss i wasn't feeling him