Life… and loss… can take us by surprise

Last week I looked after my friend Tania’s two guinea pigs, Cutie and Pinky (named by six year old Lily). Although Pinky was a little round in the middle the pet shop had assured the family that they were both girls so they figured she just loved to eat. Well, as you might be thinking, we awoke Friday morning to discover a rather thinner Pinky and an extra three little guinea pigs in the hutch! Tania got a very surprising phone call that day. The babies were so cute. How lovely it was to watch them snuggling together with their parents. But then we realised that one of the little ones was not looking too healthy. It was smaller than the others, with back legs that didn’t seem to be working well, and Pinky didn’t appear to be feeding it. In fact over the next few hours she came to actively reject it, putting it out of the ‘nest’ and stepping on its little body. When they came to pick up their pets, Lily named the little one ‘Love’ and cradled it in her hands on the way home. They did their best, but it died the next day, about 48 hours old.

Unexpected life followed by unexpected loss. The philosopher Seneca said, “Whatever can happen at any time can happen today”. The fact that we don’t know what is around the corner in life can be a source of both excitement and fear. We have a choice about how we view the unpredictability of life. Our fear can dictate how we live… if we allow it. The fear of the sorrow that often follows loss can be immobilising. It can stop us from fully participating in life, causing us to us to miss out on the many joys that may come when we are willing to take risks.

Lily had a sad afternoon on Sunday and her mother comforted her by explaining that because she is such a caring person she will experience sadness in life, but also lots of happiness. When we open our heart to one, we open it to the other. When Lily cried for ‘Love’ on Sunday she was crying for the same entity that had made her smile and enabled her to experience feelings of caring, protectiveness and hope on Saturday. The wonderful Kahlil Gibran wrote in The Prophet, “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain… When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight”.