7 Chick-let Takes*

These posts seem to be turning into an account of the weeks events. Seems I don’t think about much else…So, what’s been on my mind this week?

—1—
Our apartment is a mess, a BIG mess. Every room needs work. Maybe while the baby is sleeping I should be cleaning, but instead I’m writing my Quick Takes post.

—2—
I went to an intro session for Yes+/free yoga thing. YES stands for Youth Empowerment and Skills. I did kind of enjoy it but I kept getting the feeling that despite their main goal being to make the world a better place, it was not on par with God’s will. And I don’t mean it just wasn’t in God’s will for me either.

It was all about using the power of your mind to be in control, you not God. The breathing techniques help manage stress etc, and give you more energy and more joy out of life. While the mind may need a refresher and breathing is deeply connected with our bodies, I’m not so sure about the rest of it. I felt silly doing some of the exercises but one of the clinchers was during the meditation portion the speaker was talking about loving our bodies, ‘given to us from nature.’ Just seems like a classic example of the work of the devil, making something bad look really appealing.

I did spend some time at least thinking about God during the meditation, and wondering what I could take away from the experience: Just like the body and spirit need a breather, the mind probably does too and maybe next time I get too frustrated or depressed and am having trouble bringing myself out of it, even with God’s help, I should just take 5, 10 minutes to sit quietly and listen, maybe with some relaxing music, and just see if that helps. That’s what my prayer time is supposed to be, but it’s hard with a baby around to get the quiet I really need to focus. Call it all a learning experience I guess.

So, do you think I’m right in turning away from this stuff? Is the idea of YES+ compatible with Catholic teaching at all?

—3—
I tried another recipe out of the cookbook, Peanut Butter and Banana muffins. They’re OK. But I can’t taste the banana at all

—4—
This week somehow DH and I got talking again about the hamsters he used to have as a kid, and we decided we would get one. In thinking about ways for DH and I to better spend time together (other than watching TV shows) a pet had not crossed my mind, but why not? (We want to get a cat and a dog someday, but in this apartment cats have to be de-clawed etc, so we’re waiting till we move out.) A pet can help bring a family closer, and baby will get to learn about pets from a young age.

As a result baby got his first trip to a pet store. It was really cool because along with the fishies and puppies they had birds and bunnies at kid level, and you could pet them (baby didn’t, he’s too little). I had left my camera that day, but we ended up going back, so I got pictures of baby looking at the animals for, almost the first time Whatever, he went to the zoo in the summer.

We picked out our hamster, a cage and some colored tubing. DH never had the plastic tubes for his, and I too knew that was what I wanted. One benefit over a metal cage is that the wood chips stay in better, which is good with a baby around.

Then we picked a hamster, a little dark colored one who, judging by the fur, was still pretty young. The staff person told us that they thought it was a girl. After some discussion I named her Chicklet. I thought it was a very cute name for a girl hamster. That was Monday.

—5—
Sometime Thursday Chicklet died. I found her but DH confirmed. He told me that she hadn’t seemed quite right, so it wasn’t our fault. She had been the last one left in her cage at the store.

This was a bit of a blow. I had been debating if getting a hamster fit God’s will and this was not a good sign. As we were discussing actually getting a hamster I was trying to figure out whether God wanted me to or not. Yes, it would cost a little and it wasn’t a necessity, but DH kinda lit up talking about it, and I figured it would make us both happy. There is no sin in buying a hamster to care for and love, so there should be nothing wrong with it. Besides, I ran into a friend, who had not yet seen the baby, at the pet store and I did pick the hamster, free will and all, I guess I didn’t pick the best one.

—6—
I got to thinking why did it have to be my first hamster that died 3 days in? And then I remembered thinking the exact same thing at another time in my life. I was doubly devastated when my first pregnancy turned out to be a miscarriage. Why did it have to be the first? But less than a year later I had a happy healthy baby boy who is such a blessing. Maybe it wasn’t the right time, maybe it was just so I’d appreciate the real thing more when it did happen. Only God knows the answer.

I also got to thinking it was a shame that hamsters are so cheap. $10 will get you one of the teddy bear variety. For such a cute little creature of God it seems unfair that they should be priced so low, it seems that they should be worth more.

—7—
Anyway, Thursday evening we trooped back to the pet store. This time we were looking for one that was good and lively, and there were plenty to choose from because they had just had a new shipment. All the hamsters had only been in their new surroundings a few minutes. DH and I picked a new one and brought him home. This one was much more lively, but also more hostile. I guess they have to get used to you, only time will tell. This hamster does not yet have a name, it’s hard to get attached when you can’t even hold it. Chicklet wasn’t like that. DH said she was special, she was.

*This Quick Takes post is dedicated to Chicklet, my first hamster and her 3 days with us.