On a cold winter day, I was walking on my Toronto neighbouring beach, along the shores of Lake Ontario, when I noticed a bit of a silly commotion.
A lady was barely holding on to the cropped tail of her dog, which was halfway in the water, fixated on something that I could not quite figure out.
A woman told me that a little mouse had fallen from the retaining wall next to the beach and had been trying to get back on it, but to no luck. I decided to watch the little creature, hoping it would find safety
The little mouse was trying to climb up again and again just to fall right back in the frigid waters
Finally, after several minutes, the little mouse changed strategy and started swimming for the shore
It was difficult to observe the little mouse struggle to gain ground. The waves would carry the little one forward, and then halfway back
At times, it was heartbreaking to watch as the little creature would open her mouth wide-open while it struggled to breath
The little mouse finally made its way to the edge of the water, floating just an inch above the pebbled beach
It collapsed right there, having exhausted all its energy and strength
The little mouse laid in the same spot, resting, oblivious to the waves that could pick it up again, along with the dogs that frequented this part of the beach
Knowing that she could be the focus of undesired attention, I cautiously approached the little mouse, which let me pick it up. It had no energy to try to escape or bite
I placed it by the wall, hoping it would be safer, and would start getting the urge to scurry away. But no; it just laid there. That’s when I decided to give her a little extra helping hand
I picked it up again and sat on a nearby bench, while holding the mouse between my gloves. I was hoping the fabric would absorb the water and help insulate the mouse from the cold wind
I would check on it every few minutes. After 10-15 minutes, I started leaving the gloves more and more open to the warming rays of the sun
The little mouse was happy to stay put, so I left her in my gloves as long as needed
I was happy to see this little face with big ears and long, soft whiskers, looking back at me. For that little mouse, I’m sure it was quite terrifying, so I would close my gloves quickly to allow it to feel safe
The little mouse was seemingly content, warm and cosy, burying its head a little deeper, just not quite ready to leave yet
Finally, the little mouse started to stir and groom itself
I knew it was time to find a safe place for its release
I found a firewood pile that would be perfect for the little mouse to hide in
The little mouse turned and did a little shake
Then groomed itself and finally scurried over to live another day
For many, this tiny life wasn’t worth saving, but as Aesop said: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” It certainly was not wasted on this little one!
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Just to clarify: At first, the mouse was too far for me to help. I was able to intervene once it got to shore. :)
Ok, because I was thinking, why aren't you helping it. Why does the poor thing have to struggle so. Good to know. Thanks for your kindness.
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I could never forget something I read when I was very young - Gandhi said it: "Everything that lives is your neighbour". And so I have considered every tiny life ever since.
You did a wonderful thing! When I was much younger, an old Native American man told me every time we point a finger at another living being, there are three fingers pointing back at yourself. Every act we do, good or bad, comes back to us three times. Every little act is important! Thank you for showing me this again today.
It reminds me of the mouse in the pool of tears from Alice in Wonderland! I'm so glad you saved it, it's adorable ^-^
The story turns out to be beautiful and loving, but the title is misleading. My first thought was "Why, WHY you document the struggle why don't end it by saving...". I'm happy I read the full article. If you see comments like my first thought, that means somebody didn't read along. Thank you for saving an important life! :)
I agree: Unfortunately, Bored Panda modified the it....maybe to get additional views. My original video (at the bottom of the post) relates it as "struggles"...finding itself in rough water. The mouse was making headway, albeit slowly, throughout her ordeal. It is only when she came ashore that I realized it was in worse condition than I expected. I always thought it would have scurried right away. Since she didn't, I thought to myself: "I've saved 1-2 baby mice from one outdoor cats before, maybe I can try to help this one too"...although I was concerned that it would bite me. Once I showed the pictures to my husband, he thought I should share it with my friends. When they had a great reaction, I though I could share it with my neighbouring FB community. Their reaction was so positive! :)))... So finally, this year, I chose to share this story on a public platform, hoping it might inspired people to be kind to every creature they find on their path, and have a strong will to survive.
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Ahhhh thanks for showing the llove to nature and it habitants :-):-):-):-) beautifull vibvib
Thankyou for posting this sweet story.....it touched me......bless u for saving the little o e
Sorry pictures bother you so much. We all have our comfort zone. Mine, at the time, were pictures. Best regards.
Thanks so much for sharing and helping this little one. Sometimes I think I'm the only one doing this type of thing. But thank you for letting me know I'm not :)
Please continue. Compassion is an underrated quality. ;)))
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Thank you for doing this for that little mouse! And thank you for documenting and sharing this story. It melted my heart. I was cheering for him through the whole series.
It was drowning and your first reaction was to photograph it instead of helping it?
No, it was not drowning. The original title says struggling. Please check my response in the tread. Best regards.
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Yes, I did once it got closer. Best regards.
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It's a really nice post, but the video really made me cringe... I'm sorry
Same - the post was so emotional and lovely. The video was kinda anthropomorphisingly disturbing...
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i think you could have helped the little mouse a lot earlier. but i guess DOCUMENTING THIS SORRY EVENT WAS MORE IMPORTANT.
I understand. Unfortunately, I was not dressed to go in the icy water. The mouse was also making headway. The water event took about 5-7 min
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You have eyes and fingers. So use it. The video is on the bottom of the post. See it ?
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Just to clarify: At first, the mouse was too far for me to help. I was able to intervene once it got to shore. :)
Ok, because I was thinking, why aren't you helping it. Why does the poor thing have to struggle so. Good to know. Thanks for your kindness.
Load More Replies... I could never forget something I read when I was very young - Gandhi said it: "Everything that lives is your neighbour". And so I have considered every tiny life ever since.
You did a wonderful thing! When I was much younger, an old Native American man told me every time we point a finger at another living being, there are three fingers pointing back at yourself. Every act we do, good or bad, comes back to us three times. Every little act is important! Thank you for showing me this again today.
It reminds me of the mouse in the pool of tears from Alice in Wonderland! I'm so glad you saved it, it's adorable ^-^
The story turns out to be beautiful and loving, but the title is misleading. My first thought was "Why, WHY you document the struggle why don't end it by saving...". I'm happy I read the full article. If you see comments like my first thought, that means somebody didn't read along. Thank you for saving an important life! :)
I agree: Unfortunately, Bored Panda modified the it....maybe to get additional views. My original video (at the bottom of the post) relates it as "struggles"...finding itself in rough water. The mouse was making headway, albeit slowly, throughout her ordeal. It is only when she came ashore that I realized it was in worse condition than I expected. I always thought it would have scurried right away. Since she didn't, I thought to myself: "I've saved 1-2 baby mice from one outdoor cats before, maybe I can try to help this one too"...although I was concerned that it would bite me. Once I showed the pictures to my husband, he thought I should share it with my friends. When they had a great reaction, I though I could share it with my neighbouring FB community. Their reaction was so positive! :)))... So finally, this year, I chose to share this story on a public platform, hoping it might inspired people to be kind to every creature they find on their path, and have a strong will to survive.
Load More Replies... Ahhhh thanks for showing the llove to nature and it habitants :-):-):-):-) beautifull vibvib
Thankyou for posting this sweet story.....it touched me......bless u for saving the little o e
Sorry pictures bother you so much. We all have our comfort zone. Mine, at the time, were pictures. Best regards.
Thanks so much for sharing and helping this little one. Sometimes I think I'm the only one doing this type of thing. But thank you for letting me know I'm not :)
Please continue. Compassion is an underrated quality. ;)))
Load More Replies... Thank you for doing this for that little mouse! And thank you for documenting and sharing this story. It melted my heart. I was cheering for him through the whole series.
It was drowning and your first reaction was to photograph it instead of helping it?
No, it was not drowning. The original title says struggling. Please check my response in the tread. Best regards.
Load More Replies... Yes, I did once it got closer. Best regards.
Load More Replies... It's a really nice post, but the video really made me cringe... I'm sorry
Same - the post was so emotional and lovely. The video was kinda anthropomorphisingly disturbing...
Load More Replies... i think you could have helped the little mouse a lot earlier. but i guess DOCUMENTING THIS SORRY EVENT WAS MORE IMPORTANT.
I understand. Unfortunately, I was not dressed to go in the icy water. The mouse was also making headway. The water event took about 5-7 min
Load More Replies... You have eyes and fingers. So use it. The video is on the bottom of the post. See it ?
Load More Replies...
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