I was headed out my front door to catch the first rays of the morning sun when I stopped in my tracks, just outside of my front door was a RAT!!!
OMG, what had I done to deserve this? What kind of evil thoughts could have passed through my brain to attract this dreaded creature? Why had life delivered this 4 legged horror to me when I was looking forward to enjoying a glorious morning? Before I could answer any of these thoughts, and knowing that it was impossible for me to walk to my car without passing directly in his path, I looked to grab the nearest object and fling it right at him in an effort to shoo this awful critter away. After I hurled a bag of unopened coffee beans, he slowly scattered into the landscaping. Panting, I made it to my car!
Sitting inside the safety of my modern chariot my more rational mind started to take hold. Why was I so scared to walk past this tiny creature, who after all was just a fraction of my size and weight? Why was I so compelled to scare him away? Why did I assume that rats were such bad luck? Was there anything other than mental conditioning that was guiding my reaction? Opening my phone I googled RAT SYMBOLISM!
“The rat symbolizes intelligence in culture, which means both cuteness and shrewdness. Rats live in nature and can easily survive natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and drought, so it was considered to be a godly creature by ancient people!” Wow, FANTASTIC!…I just saw a godly creature! Smiling with a bit of smugness I headed off for my sunrise beach walk.
When I returned home I decided to learn a bit more about the rat. Once again I googled “Rats and Rat Symbolism”….and here is what I learned: rats were once blamed for spreading the plagues that killed millions of people in medieval Europe” (no wonder I was scared and that they have such a bad rap!), 2020 is the Year of the Rat!, And “the rat is a surprisingly complex symbol. They may be symbols of poverty, decay, and disease, but they also signify abundance. They are often seen as a sign of wealth and plenty because they have such a large number of offspring.” No wonder my emotions were swinging, was I cursed by seeing a symbol of poverty and disease, or blessed by a sign of plenty and wealth?
And so it is with this conflict that I approach the end of my rat story, and ask myself the following questions…Does the information that I accept as truth create what I perceive as reality? Are my actions and emotional responses so totally controlled by this that it does not matter if the information is really true? And if I take the time to discern the truth of the information that I am reacting to, can I alter my behavior and even conquer my fears? Just a little lesson from my 4 legged teacher!
Much Love,
Jane