Paul Watson, Campus Carrier Editor-in-Chief
While we were putting together the newspaper today, we had a little problem running around. One of our staff members named this little problem Franklin the Mouse. She was set on saving Franklin by catching it in a jar and releasing it outside. The rest of us, however, wanted to get rid of this mouse before it left scat everywhere and chewed up wires.
So we set a non-killing trap. We knew the mouse had scurried into a small hole, so we put a Reese’s Cup in a jar and waited. And waited. It popped its head out every now and then, but as far as I know, it’s still sitting in its hole, waiting for the right time to get food (probably right after we left the office).
This wasn’t the first time this winter I’d been trying to catch mice. Since my house sits in the middle of a pasture, we had three or four mice invade our house over Christmas break. Since our Yorkshire Terrier wasn’t doing his job of catching the mice, we had to set traps all around the house to catch them ourselves. At one point, I was chasing one of these mice through the house to catch it.
As little as they are, there’s a reason mice aren’t welcome indoors. Besides being a sign of uncleanliness, mice carry disease and can cause damage. Though the damage may seem small, it can affect the most delicate systems, which can lead to even bigger problems.
These mice are a perfect metaphor for those things we don’t say, those issues we keep bundled up. Sure, they may seem petty, but it’s these small, insignificant matters that can do the most damage without us even realizing it. We let these small things—him not holding the door open, her not saying “goodbye”—that can build up and take the most damaging toll on our lives and relationships. We let these instances build up without realizing it, then suddenly he says the wrong thing and all hell breaks loose.
If these little things aren’t damaging our lives, they carry disease. “He didn’t hold the door; I wonder how else he’s trying to ruin our relationship/friendship.” It’s thought processes like this that start to seep in, affecting every happy memory you may have had with whatever person fits this scenario.
Even more, these “mice” affect how we think of ourselves. “I can’t believe I said something so stupid. I should think about all the other stupid things I’ve done, too.” Just like that, we’re in a bout of self-loathing, sometimes wondering how we could ever get by in life being so stupid, or worse.
As simple as it sounds, we have to catch our “mice” before they do their damage. Everyone has his or her own mice hidden away; you’re not the only one. What’s important is identify where the rat’s nest is—where we feel the most negativity towards another person or towards ourselves. Once we’ve done that, we have a couple options. One, we can catch the mouse and put it out. Get everything out on the table with either yourself or the other person, figure out the heart of the issue and clear it up.
Or, if the issue is one that you can resolve on your own, destroy the rat’s nest and all its inhabitants. These are the kind of mice that would do much more harm than good if they were brought to the table, like personal prejudices or other one-sided issues. Kill it. If it needs to see light, write it down. But don’t risk a relationship over your own misjudgments.
Mice are difficult to trap; it takes planning. But once you’ve got everything set up, it’s the simplest thing in the world.