Birch Bunny rodeo...

Ever wish you had this much energy? I know I do. Our bunny, Birch, loves to do his "happy hops" when he's out and about. I call it the bunny rodeo.

For the most part, Birch enjoys being holed up in his cage, safe and snuggled in his hay (or lying in his litter box). On occasion, though, his mommy, Darice, insists he come out for some exercise. At first he objects, scuttling to a corner of his cage under a shelf. Once we nab him, however, and he realizes he has a large, fenced-in area in the family room in which to cavort, he takes full advantage of it. It's good for him to run and jump, dashing from one side of the large enclosure to another and his mom knows this, even if Birch objects as only bunnies can--by stomping his back feet to display his displeasure.  (This is the best-cared-for rabbit in the world, by the way, with his own penned area that Mommy puts up and takes down on a regular basis.)

It doesn't take long before he remembers that he loves getting out and forgets all about being in his comfort zone. He jumps and twists, leaps and dashes, runs like mad and turns on a dime. He lets us know when he's bored by pulling at the carpet. In the rabbit world, that's a definite no-no. He might ingest a piece of carpet which would cause him (and Mommy) no end of grief, so the minute he starts to exhibit BBB (bad bunny behavior), back into the cage he goes.

I'm a lot like Birch. I like to inhabit my own safe little world and hesitate to take chances, explore beyond what I know (at least by myself), or exercise, for that matter. But God knows better and oftentimes I'm plucked, squirming and squealing, from my safe habitat and forced to take a chance or two. And like Birch, I inevitably remember that I love exploring new ideas, meeting new people, seeing and doing and reading and writing those things I don't usually think of or spend my time doing. Like Mommy with Birch, God knows what's best for me.

I should mention that I do draw the line between Birch and me when it comes to a couple of basic things. For one thing, I seldom sleep in the bathroom, and for another, I couldn't hop that high if a pack of coyotes were nipping at my heels. (I do stomp around once in a while, though.)

See you along the trail...