How not to get buried alive
Last weekend, The Teen traveled with her Dad to an out-of-town volleyball tournament, so on a rainy Saturday afternoon, as the boys played with Legos, the Tween and I folded loads and loads of laundry and watched a marathon of Hoarders. Yes, my life is just that exciting, but chores combined with quality time are my favorite type of multitasking.
Frankly, all the episodes of Hoarders seem like the same episode over and over again, but this particular time our curiosity peeked. This woman would put herself together quite nicely every day and go out amongst the regular people of her community, but upon returning home, we would discover her dirty little secret.
She, like most hoarders, was practically buried alive! There were broken toilets and showers used as storage units and no working kitchen to speak of. You can imagine the sad situation. She was also a "cat lady!"Here is where it got interesting.
The clean-up crew found a dead cat behind her dresser! A mere carcass! We were so grossed out, but like a bad accident, we had to keep looking. We were rewinding and pausing, to be honest with you.
The woman could no longer keep up her facade and broke down screaming, "Not Rat Cat... No, not Rat Cat!!!" (apparently, its name was Rat Cat.) Samantha and I became obsessed with the woman and her pet Rat Cat.
Her story was that she had been looking for Rat Cat to take him to the vet but could not find him, so just "GAVE UP!" and, as she claims... ready? "There was no smell, so how was I to know he was back there!?"
We had to pause at this point and take in this information...
Now I am not a neat freak by any means, but I do like "a place for everything, and everything in its place" Although if you were to come to my house today at 4:45 and peek in the front window, a glance at the foyer might suggest that I hoard children's shoes, backpacks, or sporting equipment, but in general, we are a tidy people, and my daughter was having a hard time wrapping her mind around "Rat Cat Lady."
She said, "Mom, how does that happen?"Good question, Sam. I tried to explain best by saying, "You know those days when you are sad, frustrated, maybe hurt or disappointed, and you just don't want to do anything? You don’t care how your room looks or your bathroom, and you may even feel like you can't brush your teeth or hair or even get dressed sometimes?"
Now Sam is the eternal optimist and can find the silver lining in the grayest of clouds, so I doubt she has ever felt that way, but she was following me. She replied, "But eventually you get over it, right? I mean, you could talk to a friend or a parent or pray to God for help."Out of the mouths of babes...She is right. That would be an ideal situation.
Honestly, after watching this episode of Hoarders, my first blog idea was to encourage us all not to give up, that life is worth living to the fullest, and let's not let our dreams die. ( behind the dresser... like a...dead cat.) But then I thought, that is easier said than done, and you just can't tell people "to not to!" Sometimes people encounter big blows of disappointment that are hard to recover from. They may not have caring parents, good friends, or a relationship with God. Or maybe they do, but the hurt gets to be too much, and then they give up, not just for a weekend, but for good, and that kind of damage is hard to reverse.
I will be the first to admit life is hard, and I look around the house thinking, "Why do I even bother?" One or two days of slacking on dishes and laundry, and you might as well bring the camera crew over and start shooting for tomorrow's episode. On a good week, it is a daily struggle not to give up on a long list of things, from my diet, chores, and good parenting to pursuing God and loving my spouse.
On a bad day, I can understand Hoarders and the plight of Rat Cat Lady. What stops me from giving up for good? God stretched out his hand to bring me comfort when I was discouraged and disappointed. He made a way out of some very dark times and blessed me with this fabulous family and abundant life beyond my wildest dreams. I am eternally grateful and aware that life is a precious gift. So I do not give up, and I fight for what I have and live every day to please God because I am so thankful.
I will also remember to reach out to those who are hurting and may not have a support system or loved ones to talk to. I pray that God will show me those who are hurting and discouraged. Those who can see no way out. I pray that I could show them God’s outstretched hand and offer them comfort, not just say, "How are ya?" but really care about others. Be light, be life, be strength, be hope and encouragement.
It may be a matter of life and death; no one should ever have to feel buried alive. Samantha is well on her way to understanding the needs of those around her. As the rain came down and we continued to fold the laundry, we vowed to pull each other out of any funk before we became Rat Cat Lady. Thanks, Sam!
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
2 Corinthians 1:4