‘Me and My Bug Friend…’

‘Walkin’ down life’s avenue…’

Let me introduce my newest friend to you: Mr. Bug!

Mr. Bug came to visit a couple of weeks ago when early spring melted into summer and our screen-less windows were open a bit to allow fresh air inside out house. He decided to join us too and has not left yet!

Summer turned into winter again and I won’t let him leave till well… I know he’ll survive back out in the wild!

Meantime, I almost killed him several days ago when I emptied a thermos of hot water down the sink and he got swept up in the title wave and ended up in the bottom of the sink drain basket all crumpled up. I got him out onto a piece of paper and put him on the window sill, apologizing profusely and kept a careful eye on him. Within several hours he was back to his old self checking thing out and hanging out in the window sill and sink bottom once again…phew!

It was at this point that I adopted him in a much deeper way and our friendship grew.

A day or two later Mr. Bug attempted suicide by somehow ending up in the silver ware basket of the dish drainer in the sink! He got himself lodged in it and was all but dead in some water that had accumulated in one corner of it.

Well, I was a ‘basket case” when I saw him down there and attempted to drain the remaining water out. Assuming he was dead I went back to bed as it was in the middle of the night when I found him during my trek to the kitchen for a sip of water.

The next morning, he still was there in the bottom of the basked drainer looking like a drowned rat of a bug. I fished him out carefully and once again put him on paper on the window ledge this time assuming he was dead and began mourning my loss—he’d become my friend!

Feeling sad is what we do when we experience a loss no matter what the size or significance of the ‘thing’ we’ve lost.

He laid there that day all crumpled up and I went on with my daily tasks wondering what would be a proper burial for my friend.

Many hours later when I was at the kitchen sink and he’d moved from one part of the paper to the other side. I assumed the paper that was not lying flat because it had been damp and dried up and so he moved and he slid to the other side of it. A bit later on I began to notice his drowned rat looking appearance was not exactly the same.

I was curious and kept watching him and tried to figure out exactly who he is in the bug-kingdom. I had no idea just how many bugs look a lot like him and really have no clear idea who he is—other than Mr. Bug! His given name by me. He’s an awful handsome fella too!

I fondly remember the talking horse ‘Mr. Ed’ who had his own show from my TV childhood watches and ‘Mr. Green Jeans’ from Captain Kangaroo… So ‘Mr. Bug’ resonates well with me even though a friend of mine suggests it is far too formal a name given how ‘close’ we’ve become.

I just don’t want to end up having him think that I am doing a ‘Mr. Bill’ on him, recalling Saturday Night Live from many years ago…

Oh, but I digress…

Mr. Bug miraculously recovered very slowly in the hours and days after his suicide attempt! He grew back an antenna that was clipped short, repaired a leg that was crushed and hobbled about till he got completely well again! Absolutely amazing how his body repaired itself!

His journey is an inspiration to me on many levels:

His ability to heal—he rested, his body worked hard to heal, he wanted to get better, he needed help and he trusted me even after I tried to drown him!
He gives me hope—this cute little guy. I’m home on leave due to shingles doing much the same as he, have a wounded body, hobble around when my muscles tighten and cramp up, have to rest a lot, want my life back, do all I can to get well, need support and all kinds of help, and have to figure out who I can trust and who I cannot trust too!

We can’t get through life all alone! We all, even Mr. Bug, need the love and care of people in this world we live in to do so!

But, we can’t trust everyone who we encounter in our lives to do the right thing.

Mr. Bug knows just who he can trust and count on—me! He now has an ‘eco’ environment on the window sill filled with outside ‘stuff’ of his normal environment. By guess and by golly I’m learning by watching him what he needs to survive and giving it to him.

It takes patience, kindness and care and a big heart to nurture another human being no matter what the size!

For all those who’ve been there for me I am most grateful.

For all those who’ve been there for all those who’ve been so ill with Covid this last year plus—I am SOOOOO very grateful for too!

My next hurdle will be to decide what’s best for Mr. Bug—a life outside in the wild or a limited life on my window sill?

Whilst I will miss his company and inspiration I know the answer to that one—it will be a painful goodbye for us both I suspect when one day next week winter turns back to spring and summer is on the horizon again…

My life will not be the same for just knowing Mr. Bug! A treasured friend whose helped me grow! I thank you Mr. Bug!

Friendships come and go for all kinds of reasons—true friends remain in our hearts forever!

Who’s been there for you? How can you thank them right now for all they’ve given to you?