Wednesday 12 October 2016

Out of my comfort zone! HELP!!!


Hi, this is me...I'm Hammy!

Ahhh, I've got to introduce you to my new best friend. Him and I have so much in common, except of course, that he is a lot cuter than me! This is "Hammy", our hamster, and though he is such a small and seemingly insignificant creature, he has taught me a lesson or two!

This is my home when it's being cleaned...
Recently, when my daughter was cleaning his cage, he was being his usual restless self again. He doesn’t seem to like this cage-cleaning-procedure at all. I suppose it is understandable from his point of view since out in nature, he wouldn’t exactly do a spring clean every Saturday afternoon. But the problem is that by the end of a week he tends to start smelling a little bit more than we can bear and so he has no choice but to succumb to the unwanted procedure at least every second week.

...and this is where they put me while I wait.
For the duration of the clean-out he usually gets transferred to a temporary housing facility (a bucket) and is given a blanket for comfort and some food. This is a decent solution in our opinion, but it’s an opinion he doesn't seem to share. He actually gets quite frantic after a while and doesn’t seem to understand why he has been relocated. In that moment, he is not able to recognize that his predicament is only temporary.

Ahhh, I am getting some much needed TLC!
Nonetheless, we have to do what needs to be done and in order to help him over this stressful time, I occasionally hold him in the palm of my hand. He snuggles in and I give him a gentle back massage while I whisper to him that it's all going to be ok. He seems to LOVE that and it always helps a great deal to calm him down and he often just dozes off in my hand. When his cage is finally finished and ready, I set him down in the middle of it and watch him as he eagerly runs around the cage and sniffs on everything, as if to reassure himself that it is all back where it ought to be.

Not Hammy's but MY comfort zone...
I so feel for the little chap, because I can definitely relate to this kind of behavior. This is so me! I stress too when my home gets disrupted, perhaps to a lesser degree now then I used to, but I display the same sort of behavior when, for example, an unscheduled “handyman” rocks up at my door in order to fix some or the other thing in my home and inadvertently almost always upsets my whole daily routine and leaves me with a grand mess to clean! Or when my car, which I sorely depend on, goes for a service and unexpectedly takes much longer than it was supposed to. Such unwelcome surprises always leave me feeling very displaced and they can create anxious emotions in me. This is when I need a little reassurance, just like Hammy, in order to get me through these stressful times.When I struggle to see the "bigger picture" and I have a rather desperate need for "order" around me, I retreat into my quiet time chair. Just for a little while until the emotions settle. A couple of minutes of solitude can already do wonders for a restless soul! My quiet time chair is my place of comfort and I do hope that you have such a place too! This is where I get a little TLC from God and I hear that everything is going to be ok. Sometimes it helps to read some Scripture and sometimes I just listen to my own thoughts, but I always feel better afterwards!

Hammy is undergoing food therapy... ;)
Hammy and I both stress and both of us need someone to help us through these stressful times, but most importantly, I have realized when I was holding him, that sometimes it is perfectly ok to take a break and get a little TLC - wherever and whenever you can! When everything is over and Hammy is once again settled in his cage, he likes to indulge in a blueberry, which by the way is my favorite fruit too! So, now you know my new "quiet time buddy" and I would love to know how YOU cope with stressful times. If you have a moment, please leave me a comment below! As always, wishing you...

A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL WEEK!

(All photos are my own.) 

2 comments:

  1. Love this Sue. Do true for us all. We NEED that place of comfort as well as the reassurance that all will soon be well with our lives once more.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Shirley! I am glad you could relate. Always nice to hear. :)

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