Wednesday, August 29, 2007

I did a good thing tonight, I hope

I am behind on my blogging -- you wonderful people have piled up comments to which I have not yet responded; and I have several new post ideas; as well as a couple of friends to link; and a few new links that I have found this week that pertain to the central purpose of this blog, namely, resources for that divine being who condescends to grace the Earth with Her presence, Woman.

But tonight I was busy wandering through an old building. It's a long story as to why I was there. In this somewhat neglected old building in a very bad, scary part of town, it turns out that bats have made a home for themselves. We saw guano piles here and there, and a few dead ones on the floor.

Seems a bat that lands on flat, smooth ground cannot lift itself into the air and will eventually die, a miserable death. Kind of like one of those big beetles that can't right themselves.

One of us nudged one of the dead, floor-bound bats with his boot, only to discover, by its shudder and clicks, that it was still alive.

We kept on going. But I was bothered. I wouldn't like to die of thirst and starvation, helpless upon a floor somewhere.

But bats, although they do a good job eating up pestilent bugs, are infamous for carrying rabies. Would I be a fool to try to help this one? I didn't dare pick it up by hand.

My conscience tugged at me still. Finally I found a closet with a pile of junk in it -- no dustpan as I would have liked, but a small trash can would do, and part of a vacuum cleaner assembly in lieu of a broom.

I drafted a companion to nudge the little animal with the vacuum cleaner thingee into the wastebasket, then, with the sweat of fear starting to drip down my neck, for the bat was only a few inches from my bare hand, carried the creature hastily outside and set it in a leaf pile.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just ONE? (Kidding!)
You are nominated for Sainthood! Bats are SO valuable, despite what people's perception is of them. You thought you liked Women?...bats are at least as good :)

StayAtHomeKat said...

YOU are my Hero!

StayAtHomeKat said...

it was a race to see who would canonize you first!
Leslie won!

PixieDust said...

Awww, Good Man! How many of us have only needed a nudge to get us moving when we were at our lowest...

Good Karma a thousandfold!

:-)

Eastcoastdweller said...

Leslie: Women are somewhat prettier and more snuggly than bats and generally don't carry a high risk of rabies.

But bats do have their place in the universe.

Kat: Thank You.

Pixie Dust the-soon-to-be-linked: How profound!

Eastcoastdweller said...

You see how foolish the general stereotypes that people have of Women are?

Three Ladies have commented so far, and not one EWWW on this subject.

Just happiness that a little bat was given a chance at survival.

My respect, my adoration, for You Women, most wonderful beings of all that has been created, most perfect, continues to deepen and grow.

Laura Stamps said...

Good for you!! As an Empath and someone who has been in feral cat rescue for 30+ years, I have tried to save countless other creatures, from yucky creepy-crawlies that get in my house to birds to turtles, etc. Much to my husband's dismay, I often just dive in that moment to do what I can without thinking of anything else.

I'll never forget the time we were walking across the mall parking lot at night, and suddenly heard a woman scream for help. She was in a car a couple of rows over, and there was a man in the car atacking her. I immediately started running that way (this was before cell phones), and my husband grabbed me, and said: "What do you think you are DOING?!!" Ha! The screaming stopped, and the women looked okay, and my husband shuffled me into the mall, lecturing me about not getting in the middle of a domestic fight. The life of an Empath...oh, well. Okay, so now even though I wear protection talismans every day and cast a circle of protection around myself every day, I am more careful. I still take off running the minute I hear a distress call, but I try to think about it as I am running (grin).

Anyway, back to the critters. I believe it is good to help those in distress, because I have recently come to realize that human spirits can spend a lifetime or more in a critter body. As well as being a Wican Faery Witch and a Empath, I am also psychic, and this message was delievered to me earlier this year by one of the spirits who lives with me in my house now. An amazing concept, isn't it? But since then I have discovered it to be very true. Really makes you think.

Sending many faery blessings to you today for the very good deed you performed with the bat!

Patty said...

I'm telling my age here, but every time I see a bat I think of Barnabas Collins from the old Dark Shadows series. Ewwww.
We do have them flying around where I live at night, but I am not sure I am brave enough to pick on up, vaccumm cleaner or not.

ndpthepoetress Jean Michelle Culp said...

How noble of you! May you be blessed with enriching blood in your veins that bats never touch and may you never go batty as a bed bug.

Ian Lidster said...

Gee -- I think that earns you points in heaven. Seriously, though, I didn't know the fact about bats and smooth surfaces. Interesting and I now feel more knowledgeable. But, you're braver than I am. I wouldn't want to go near it, just because of the rabies thing.

Nadiyya said...

We'll hope it survived... :) But I will remember this next time on Agilka Island, the Isis temple there is full of bats :) So the bat must be a lucky animal :)

Eastcoastdweller said...

Laura: It is a good way to be, to care about the creatures with whom we share this earth, even if it sometimes leads to risks or to heartbreak.

To be anything else, to be a zombie stumbling through a world barely seen, is pathetic and sad, IMHO.

Eastcoastdweller said...

Autumn: I will welcome You to my blog, even if You did emit an EWWW and spoil my theory!

Leslie Hawes said...

EWWWW! I didn't know women carried rabies! (Does that balance the theory?)

Eastcoastdweller said...

Jeane: Thank You for the compliment, although it wasn't a big enough deal to be called noble.

Ian: I didn't know either, until the building custodian mentioned it. I could probably use those divine points.

Nadiyya: Live bats or images?

Dawn said...

I love bats!!

I even bought a book on them and it has plans on how to build a bat house inside.

Unfortunately I've recently realized I don't have the wood working skills to build such a thing. :(

Someday...sigh.

Eastcoastdweller said...

Dawn: I can't imagine it would be too hard to build that bat house, if You can hammer a nail and saw a board.

Eastcoastdweller said...

Leslie: Unfortunately, Women can carry rabies, being warm-blooded mammals. But They are such delightful company that it is worth the risk.