I've never been what you'd call an adventurous soul. I love to stay home, binge watch old sitcoms, read books, and cuddle up in my blankies. I have a great relationship with my roommates; I provide great company and cuddles, and am generally too cute for words, and they provide matching affection, the food, and the shelter. Doesn't this sound so much better than taking any kind of rabbit vacation? To me it does.
Does this sound a little lopsided? Well, it might be if I were a hooman, but I've got fur. I can be cuter than any hooman, and I suspect I'm way better company than most of them, too. Our arrangement is really quite a deal for the hoomans. Trust me. I'm a catch.
Anyway, one day when the weather was turning warm, the two-leggeds started talking about summer activities. It seems they had PLANS. To go AWAY. That just didn't sound right at all.
And what was going to happen to the poor rabbit? Well, it turned out to be quite a positive experience. I admit, I didn't go in to this expecting too much, but I learned a lesson.
It started out with a car trip to a totally new place. Put me on edge. Unhappy.
But then, this new hooman got me all set up in my own space. She even let me do the decorating. I put my litter box and toys where it made sense, and got my blankies organized. It started to feel kinda comfy.
One problem: I had a neighbor. Her name was Finny. I've never had a neighbor before. I was the king of my domain, and nobody complained if I made too much noise after 10 PM or forgot to clean up my hay pile.
And she snored.
I had no experience negotiating these things with other rabbits... wasn't sure what tactic to use. She was awfully good looking, I had to admit. Petite little standy-up ears, a shiny coat, and a white tip on her tail that made me feel funny. Like I'd never felt before. I thought maybe the car trip had made me sick. I wasn't really sure how to feel about this rabbit vacation so far... I have to be honest.
As the days passed, that feeling I didn't recognize got stronger, but in a good way. I really liked watching her eat. Something about a girl who can put away her hay that really gets me going. I started to wonder. I kinda wanted to get closer to her. Sniff her ears. I tried to control myself.
Just when I thought I was going to be ok, she put her little pink nose through her pen bars and tried to reach me in my pen. I thought I'd faint.
The hoomans told me they had spoken with my real family, and asked if this bit of fluff and I could meet. It was up to us: if we both wanted to try to make it work, they'd all support us. I was all in. So was she.
She had me at binky and we just hit it off. I hear that doesn't always happen, but for us, the stars aligned. I swear I could hear Sinatra crooning in the background. The light in the room began to shimmer. I was in love.
Then it hit me: OMG she had a family and I had a family and how could we ever be together? Once we both went home, we'd have to rely on what? Skype? Not very paw-friendly (and the developers need to do something about that).
Guess what? This furry wonderfulness HAD NO FAMILY. Finny was called a "foster" rabbit, which meant no hooman had added her to their family yet.
When my own family came to pick me up (I'm still not clear on why they would want to go away), they invited us both into the carrier for the ride home. This ride was so much better (although neither one of us rabbits liked it) because we were together.
In fact, from that time onward, EVERYTHING has been better because we are together. Now, I can't even go to sleep without Finny's snoring. I decided it's cute.
So what did I learn on my summer rabbit vacation? Embrace every day no matter what is going on. There may just be a lovely surprise waiting for you. Today, your life just might change.
