A Toad Stuck in a Hole

"Once upon a time there was a toad called 

Mr. Jeremy Fisher; he lived in a little damp house 

amongst the buttercups at the edge of a pond."

---Beatrix Potter--- 

.... So yeah basically I just came up with the title and now I really don't know where I am going with this post. It was sort of an idea that I had while I was making some pink lemonade and walking through the house. The title that I chose is based on a little experience that I had this morning when I literally found a toad stuck in a tiny hole in the wood outside our door, The little guy (Or girl) was in a horrible situation. He couldn't get back out and even if he did he would just have to down pouring rain that caused all the trouble in the first place, and he was certainly not going forward. In fact when I tried to pry him out I couldn't get the little guy to budge one bit and I had to get some kitchen oil to pour on his little stuck bottom. After some pulling and me worrying that I was going accidentally puncture an organ or break his delicate spine, he popped out, swollen arm and an expression that stated quite clearly that this little toad was seriously done with life. He was stiff but I washed him off and checked his health before placing him back outside under a propped up bowl, away from the rain. I don't know if he was thankful, he's a toad, but I was certainly happy to help the warty little dude.

He would have certainly died a slow and horrible death had someone not seen his buttocks sticking up from the ground and maybe it was his turn to die, I don't know. Maybe he's already dead, I have no idea but the fact that our tiny little universes collided made me think about how lives are intertwined and how no one is an island. I became a very important part of his life without warning and sure he's just a toad and should have been smart enough not to get stuck in a hole but he was just not capable of pulling himself out of that mess. More than just anybody, he needed somebody with the proper tools and time to help, he needed thumbs, lubricant, and more than anything he needed someone who is quite fond of toads, warts and all. I wouldn't have been very helpful to him if I hadn't any of those requirements, I would have just been a person passing through who could only hope that someone else would pass through soon enough to help.

Point is, no body is an island. And I know that I talk about how we should always take care of ourselves and take responsibility for our own lives, and that's still true but just as a thought, perhaps when we're stuck sometimes we may not be able to pull ourselves out. Humans are stupid and maybe before we can progress we just need the right person with the proper tools to some along and take time to help us out. I don't really like admitting that but in all honestly, it's probably an option. Perhaps sometimes we just don't have the right tools to help ourselves out and then we just have to hope for the passerby willing to help will pass by and notice our ass sticking out of the ground. In that case, I feel as if the best thing to do is just to bide some time and try to survive until someone gives you the pull or  push that you need. It's a hard thing to admit but we just have to accept that all lives are interconnected in delicate and promising ways, we are not an island, we're just a little bitty toad stuck in the fabric of the universe waiting for some toad lover to come over and help us out, and who knows, maybe we can help that toad lover write her blog that evening? Life is unusual and filled with tiny rifts of knowledge and lessons.

I had no idea how this blog was going to turn out but given the unusual topic I think it turned out okay. Lessons can be learned from anywhere and by anyone at any given time and sometimes the smallest ones are the ones that will stay with you the longest. I found a toad stuck ass up in the ground this morning and by the time the day ended that toad gave me some encouragement and some hope and something to write about before my bedtime. I sure hope that the little dude didn't already get eaten. Hey, it's a tough world for a traumatized toad.