mind the mole

diva was barking her pretty little head off...not the usual I Own The Neighborhood And Surrounding Areas-type bark. this was the real deal...something in the yard. Coyotes...my first thought. i threw on the first shoes by the door and flew outside. she stood near the back - her attention riveted to the ground. too low, too small for a coyote. whew. on closer inspection, i spied a small, brown, furry little mole...the animal type, not the kind that grows on your chin. diva verbally abused this poor animal as it continued to dig a hole to hide in. (actually, i think diva was waaay overexcited at the prospect of a new friend). feeling badly for the mole, i scooped diva up and brought her inside. a few hours later, i happened outside in the same area, and there was the mole...laying still. i felt so badly. i know Diva didn't harm it, so at least there was that. later in the day, sitting in the eye dr's waiting for the drops to work, i thought about the lesson of the Mole. in order to really understand, google Moles, and check out their unique structure. although tiny (and fat!) they have a pink, stubby proboscus that they use to feel their way around. they have long, sharp claws to dig with. no eyes in evidence. so as i sat there with dilating pupils, i realized that the mole didn't sit there waiting to grow eyes, he used what he had to feel his way ahead. and when he seemed to be in the right spot, he dug for all he was worth. i don't know what caused him to die...i gave him as proper a burial as possible with frozen ground. but his life left me with a lesson...tiny and fuzzy, but a lesson all the same. L.