105 Ways to Give a Book

What Happens on Wednesdays...

...stays on Wednesdays.

Today I need to talk about hamster racing. Yes, really. I saw a flyer at my local pet store about a hamster-ball racing event on Saturday and I came home all charged up. The idea of incorporating two things I love — hamsters and humor — was intoxicating. We started training our hamster, Cookie, and she isn’t at good at hamster-ball running as I may have thought. Though it has led to some great moments. Like me sighing at the end of the evening, realizing that we had forgotten to do our practice, and my teen saying with perfect comic delivery, “What?! Don’t you want to be the mother of a champion?” Then there are the times that we encourage Cookie by singing the Rocky theme song, including when my husband comes in playing it on the iPod. Or when we refer to the hamsters’ quick back-and-forth yard-long runs as similar to Rocky’s runs on the stairs, and the teen starts laughing and says, “See, it’s funny because Cookie hasn’t even seen the movie!” (Actually, Cookie did see the movie and she found it rather derivative. She recommends Etienne! for discerning viewers of the rodent art film.)

Certainly this is a scene of some silly, family fun, but it’s also a strategy. Not for the hamster-ball competition, which we are sure to lose at this point, but for injecting fun into the dreary times. I talked last week about feeling off-balance, and I truly appreciated your responses. But the venting and connecting can’t be the end game, or it’s all too easy to sink into misery. It’s tempting to look over our legitimate reasons for being down, taking our comfort in commiseration and validation. But while we may feel better about our right to feel down, we don’t actually feel better — and that should be the ultimate goal.

We need to allow ourselves, force ourselves even, to take a break from the heaviness and replenish our strength. Take a nap, draw a picture, watch a show, make a collage, pull the weeds, buy some flowers, arrange a closet, or (duh) read a book. You may even engage in the rising sport of hamster racing. In that case, Cookie and I will see you at the next meet.


Yes, we actually had this calendar hanging over Cookie’s cage, and it was hysterical.

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5 comments:

Jennie said...

Bitey The Wonder Hamster (RIP) would have been awesome at hamster racing!

Thanks for the reminder that it's the little silly things we do that can get us through these dreary times.

Also, my verification word is harem!

tanita✿davis said...

One of the things I've been thinking about as I've been feeling meh was how I was facing up to it - and then I read this piece from Salon about going a month without snark. I realized that a lot of how I was feeling I was perpetuating with my mouth - so I feel you on the doing something other than venting and connecting. By trying to silence the snide little voice always picking apart the fabric of everything, I am trying to be more proactive and spread possivitity. It may or may not work, but it's worth a shot.

- thank you, Pam. I know this time isn't easy, but you're slogging through with your usual verve and style. And obviously mad hamster racing skilz.

Jan Markley said...

Love the hamster racing! And love the idea of being silly and enjoying life! Thanks for the reminder!

The Pen and Ink Blogspot said...

Hamster Racing. I love it! I just designed a bumper sticker. "Happiness Is An Inside Job"
It looks like you're good at it. So am I. Thank you!

Sondy said...

This post makes me smile - and that's always a good thing! I had just realized that I have to take off June 4 to take my son to the SAT (and work the following Saturday instead) -- and when I realized that's the traditional weekend for the 48-Hour Reading Challenge, that made me smile even bigger! I already have Friday off, so I'm going to be ready to go!