Comments on: Raccoon Medicine

By: Maria Theresa Maggi

Maria Theresa Maggi — Sun, 07 May 2017 15:47:04 +0000

Dear Gena, thank you so much for your lovely insights here! I love how you put it, that there is an art to recognizing and accepting gifts, and that we “figure that out.” Yes, yes, indeed. I was also very moved by your recognition of my discovering a way to claim my space with kindness, gently, and in so doing, creating a counterpart to some of the avarice and coldness I observe. YES. To me, that is the most profoundly useful approach in this challenging world. I thank you beyond words for knowing and supporting what I am up to. xoxo

By: Gena

Gena — Sun, 07 May 2017 12:40:16 +0000

Wow, Maria. What a wonderful reflection on your experience of learning to fully inhabit your space—a lesson with a very unexpected set of teachers!

I love the way you contrast your own hesitancy and caution with opening gifts to your son’s confident, gracious yet unentitled experience of them. I believe that there is an art to recognizing and then accepting gifts, and your post really speaks to that and how we come to figure it out.

I also smiled from ear to ear to read about the generous, loving, and nonviolent way you communicated with the raccoons. I know that displacement and loss of space has been a theme on your blog recently, and in other recent posts the displacement you’ve described has been neither gracious nor regenerative nor kind. I think you not only found a way to claim your space with kindness, gently, but you also created your own counterpart to some of the avarice and coldness you’ve recently observed.

Beautiful post to read as I begin this Sunday—thank you!

xoxo

By: Maria Theresa Maggi

Maria Theresa Maggi — Fri, 05 May 2017 03:13:51 +0000

Thank you so much, Veronica, for sharing your own stories here about critters and what you see and learn in your own life as a homeowner and in wildlife rehabilitation. I had to laugh about the raccoons and your garbage cans–they are tough customers! They used to get into the dog food I kept in the barn on Asbury Street and I had to get a metal trash can to put it in–the only kind they couldn’t open! And just for the record there was no hole in my roof–it was brand new, made from materials other than the shakes they had previously been able to pull up and STILL they worked at it until they were almost in–instinct is SO strong!! And yet, like you, I’d rather be gentle but firm and I’m glad that worked. it’s funny, though, they seem totally uninterested in my trash–go figure. I’m so glad you love the drawing too!! xo

By: Veronica

Veronica — Fri, 05 May 2017 01:09:37 +0000

Oh, and I LOVE the drawing!!

By: Veronica

Veronica — Fri, 05 May 2017 01:09:12 +0000

Oh, those ridiculous little trash pandas!! They are destructive and messy, but some of the cleverest and most persistent creatures out there. I’m so very glad you went the humane route. As I spend my time in wildlife rehabilitation, I see so much of the cruelty people do to animals just because they are trying to survive. The critters don’t know that the apple tree you spent hours pruning and taking care of isn’t for them – it’s outside! And that the hole in your roof isn’t an invitation to a nice warm and safe space for them to have babies. We all just need to learn to live well with the wildlife around us, and learn ways to deal with issues in a humane way – with patience and persistence of our own.
Each and every critter has their place and their use in the cycle of life. Raccoons are nature’s garbage disposals. 🙂 One night we heard a huge ruckus out by the trash bin (at 3am) – we go to investigate, and what do we see? 4 of these masked night bandits digging in the trash, literally holding the lid in their hands. We are poking them with brooms and yelling at them, they just give us this look like, “what are you doing?” while pushing the broom away from them. Eventually they get annoyed by us and walk away. We got a better trash bin after that… And no more issues!
We had a rat issue inside the house, too (ugh) – I love rats, though – they are sweet and smart and so misunderstood. But anyway, I had an exclusion service come and seal up all the holes (and I had them put a one-way exit I made on the big hole so they can get out on their own, but not back in). They wanted to put snap traps out, which I refused – so I just put a few live traps in the crawl space and checked them 3 times a day. I caught 2, and just let them back outside, telling them they don’t belong inside and they’re better off in the ivy outside by the creek. They both stopped and turned around to look at me before running off to their freedom.
I have so many stories of my work with the wildlife I see at the clinic, good and bad. And it warms my heart to know there’s one more person out there who chooses peace over the “easy” way of just killing the “annoyance.” So thank you, from me and the trash pandas. That is a gift you give the world every day.

By: Maria Theresa Maggi

Maria Theresa Maggi — Thu, 04 May 2017 05:07:48 +0000

Thank you Terri! 🙂

By: Terri

Terri — Thu, 04 May 2017 01:11:44 +0000

I love that you had empathy for these raccoons and worked hard to find an ethical way to deal with the situation.

By: Maria Theresa Maggi

Maria Theresa Maggi — Thu, 04 May 2017 01:00:41 +0000

Thank you Karen! I so appreciate knowing you are reading along, and that you enjoyed this particular post the way you did. It means a lot to me. Hugs and love back!

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 03 May 2017 23:56:25 +0000

Hi Maria, I enjoy reading all of your posts. They are so thoughtful. Thank you for this “meditation” on how to live in harmony with other living creatures while perserving and claiming what you need to live a full life. I especially appreciated how you tied this experience to your childhood emotions and coping behaviors. Thanks for sharing this part of your life journey with us! Hugs and love, –Karen

By: Maria Theresa Maggi

Maria Theresa Maggi — Sun, 30 Apr 2017 01:26:14 +0000

Thank you so much, Silvia! I sure appreciate your thoughtful reading from all the way across the world in Germany. Bless you for being such a faithful reader!