mousey musings

So what is it about me and mice?

In order to answer this question, I need to explain the concept of a totem. A totem represents your essential self. With what other living things do you most readily identify? A totem is not about physical resemblance -- instead, it is a useful metaphor for aspects of your personality. Are you a small-group or a large-group animal? What are your parental attachments? What kind of life do you lead? These are the questions that should lead you to your totem, which may be any non-human living thing. Some people are strong and steady like the oak, some are ferocious and protective like the bear, and some are fuzzy and sweet on the outside but bitter on the inside like the peach. With any luck, talking and thinking about your totem will help you summarize important parts of your personality in a single metaphor.

Why is the mouse my totem? I really feel like I share a kinship with mice. I'm a mouse with a human-sized brain and body. I am mouse-like in word, thought, and deed. Squeak, squeak.

1. Mice are small-group animals. They have their immediate families and they take care of their young, but they are not herd animals.

2. Mice are messy, disorganized creatures that reveal themselves primarily through the messes they leave behind.

3. Mice are nocturnal. If left to my own devices, I naturally adopt a sleeping time of 8AM-4PM. Nothing worth doing happens in the morning anyway.

4. Mice have THEIR space. They love to pile away all sorts of interesting things in their holes. They think more stuff is the natural order of things. It never occurs to a mouse to clean out its hole.

5. Mice don't like conflict. Have you ever seen a mouse fight? Of course not. Sure, in the middle of the night it will bring some horrible disease into your house, but it will run from you when you confront it.

6. Mice are loyal. Ever try to convince mice to leave your house? It's because we love you!

7. Mice love food. Mice die because of their love of a good meal.
SNAP! (shudder, shudder)

8. No one really likes mice in the abstract, but once they get to know a particular mouse they see the virtues. (And sometimes they feed us!)

Corrolary: Let's face it, mice are truly pitiful in person.

9. Mice do their own thing. Mice go where they want, forage for food, and stay where they want to stay.

10. Mice make use of the space no one else can use. What were YOU doing with that space between your walls anyway? We make a home of it!

11. Mice are annoying conversationalists:

"Hi, how are you?"
<squeak, squeak>
"Come here often?"
<squeak, squeak>

...and so forth. Don't expect skilled social interaction from a rodent.

12. Mice are small, like me! They never get taller, just rounder!

That's me -- a mouse with a human-sized brain and body. Mice are messy, nocturnal, annoying, disease-ridden creatures -- but we never go away. And sometimes (rarely) people like us.

I even have my own smiley face, complete with mousey ears: 8:)

posted by Jeffrey # 6/28/2008 02:22:00 PM