I have a new form of therapy. I didn’t come up with the methodology on purpose…in fact, it was completely by accident, but it’s working, so I think I’ll stick with it.
We got a bunny. Also not entirely on purpose, but it’s working, so I’ll stick with it.
Here’s what happened a little over week ago…
I’d like to note that although my yard wasn’t even close to being so offensive as to warrant receiving the rude note that we got, we did have it cleaned up. Because you know…thumbing my nose in the face of a problem usually never solved one.
In the midst of cleaning things up, our friends from If It’s Outdoors found this…
It seems that when Little Bunny Foo Foo was hopping through our backyard, it fell somehow into the area underneath our deck and was trapped and potentially injured.
We hopped onto the rescue train pretty quickly…because hello…baby bunny.
You can see where this is going right? UH OH…
So, here’s the thing… part of cultivating a Curious Faith comes in cultivating a curious life.
What I mean by that is that I’ve found when I’m more curious in other areas of my life…say, in the kitchen and trying new things for dinner (or even making sure I’m actually cooking dinner)…or exploring things with my kids outside…or being willing to derail an afternoon plan to go to the park in favor of playing with the bunny that the yard clean up crew found…overall, I find that my faith will benefit from the general life curiosity. (WHEW…run on sentence…you still with me?!)
It also means that what we’re planning can often take a turn in a different direction…like, getting a bunny.
In case you’re wondering…NO…we did not get our kids a bunny for Easter. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but mostly I figure that for Easter our kids get a RISEN LORD (and maybe some Cadbury creme eggs thrown in for good measure.) We’re not into the purchase of animals to maximize religious holidays as a general rule.
But it seems that yes, we got our kids a bunny.
Originally when they asked if they could keep Little Bunny Foo Foo from the yard, I said “let’s make sure it’s alright and then we will find out from the vet if that is ok for us to keep it.”
And when my vet messaged me on facebook the next morning (before I even had a chance to call the office) and said “Logan, you can’t keep the wild bunny. There are plenty of domesticated varieties that will make great pets, but this wild bunny will likely die of anxiety in captivity. If it’s eyes are open and it can hop around, it’ll be fine. Let it go.”
I suddenly realized that in telling my kids we were going to let it go, I was also then saying “you can’t have a bunny after all even though I basically said you can have a bunny if this one was ok.”
I totally told my kids they could have a bunny on accident. And because I want to be a person of my word, and also because I’m curious and open to new ideas that I wasn’t planning, and also because BABY BUNNIES, I went on a hunt to locate and secure a baby bunny before my kids would have to come home and let Bunny Foo Foo loose in the back yard again.
Thankfully I found Tootles on the world wide web and even better that she was only 30 minutes away.
STOP IT! Who could not love Tootles?
I emailed immediately and a few hours later paid $20 to claim her as ours. She softened the blow of Foo Foo’s release back into the wild.
And this past Friday, my littlest guy and I went to pick her up.
Also, she has been renamed. Tootles is now “Popcorn.”
I’m not so sure how I’m gonna feel about cleaning a cage, or keeping track of another living thing for 10 more years, but as far as we all go right now, I think Popcorn is just what we needed.
Because there’s something awfully pure and simple about snuggling a bunny on a hard day. Holding a bunny is bound to be kinder to my waistline than crunching a handful of stress chocolates. And my kids are absolutely enamored with this sweet little snuggly creature that has come into our lives relatively unexpectedly.
They call her Popcorn. I’m inclined to call her Therapy.
These days this curiosity of ours turns up surprising blessings when we’re open to things outside of the expected. It’s not deep or earth shattering in the way of faith matters, but there’s something about our NOW…our today…that this unexpected plan seems to be bringing about new bits of joy in our present.
Sometimes peace and hope and possibility might just hop up to you when you’re looking towards something else entirely.
Part of my heart and a topic we explore in my new book, Curious Faith, is how our Tiny Yeses can change the world around us. Maybe it’s a bunny trail in a direction you weren’t expecting that adds new joy to your day and pushes you towards something new and joyful.
I’d love to invite you into the journey of how a Curious Faith can not only change our perspective on today, but it can open possibility for tomorrow! Available at booksellers everywhere! And to view the Curious Faith Study Guide videos hop over HERE!
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