finding help in the strangest places

finding help in the strangest places
S

shadowkid

WARNING from ModTeam, September 2013: user "Shado
this is another of those posts where i figure people will say ,that boy is seriously disturbed ,lol but here it is,a few days ago during the time i was really down and trying to decide what to do i had an experience that was really spiritual i guess you could say . i was at work and went to the dumpster to clean out my truck ,so as i am about to toss some wire in ,i looked in the dumpster which was pretty much empty ,at the bottom lying near a small hole was a racoon ,he looked exhausted ,he was looking up at me ,but other than his eyes were open he showed little sign of life,we made eye contact ,and instantly i felt that he was trapped ,i can only describe the look as totaly helpless ,i could tell that he was exhausted because he had been trying to climb the smooth steel sides of the dumpster ,probably all night,so i'm thinking i got to get him out of there he will either get crushed by trash or die fronm the heat ,at first i though he might have rabies cause when i poked at him with a stick he didnt move ,but i felt that he had just given up ,his eyes said help me or kill me i dont care which,so i kinda prodded him and he crawled to the side and started scrabbling at it trying to get out ,then he just gave up and sat in the corner with his paws covering his face,looking so much like a little kid trapped in a nightmare,i started to realise that this racoon was just like me ,so tired of trying to get out that he had just given up. so how do i get him out? i know if i try to reach him he will most likely take my fingers off ,but its now like life or death i got to get him out,i got a board and put it into the dumpster at an angle up to the top ,he wouldnt move so i put the board right in front of him ,still he just looks at me like i cant i just dont have enough left to go for freedom,crazy i know but i could feel his desperation ,so lol i start talking to him ,like dude its right there freedom, all you got to do is take the first step but he cant ,he has given up ,so i try to use the stick to get him to go up the board ,but he only cowers there in the corner,so now i'm thinking dude i cant do it for you i can help but its up to you to get out,i poke at him again and he starts to move so i use the stick to block any way for him to go except up the board ,no luck .so i'm about to give up ,dude if you wont help yourself i might just have to leave you there,all this time he is looking right into my eyes and what i see there is me,trapped to exhausted to even accept freedom if it is offered ,if someone reached out to me i would either run or take their hand off.so i give him one more chance i push him towards the board ,and from somewhere inside he finds the strenght ,he steps onto the board ,and in about two seconds he is up the board at the top freedom is right there ,as he got to the top he stopped and looked back at me ,just a glance then he jumpped down and was gone.i thought am i as strong can i accept help or am i just gonna lay at the bottom till i die ? thats when i knew if i want freedom ,i have to take that first step,no one can do it for me ,people can help but do i have the guts to go for freedom ?standing there by a dirty dumpster i made up my mind that i am gonna climb that slippery wall i'm am gonna get out ,i am gonna accept help ,not just lay down and die. i'm gonna get help.thanks to all of you for helping push me onto the board ,and i am gonna climb out.its just weird the racoon was exactly like me ,and ms is the board i needed to get out,also when that little guy got to the top of the board ,it was the coolest feeling for me like YEAH!,YES YES YES !! it was cool to see somebody win the fight for freedom . weird story i know but it gave me the guts to get help .how cool is that? somehow it felt like we understood each other on a level way above normal stuff,in his eyes i saw his gratitude ,he was thanking me .and it felt real good adam
 
Cool. You didn't give up on him either.

I had to do the same thing for not such a cuddly nice creature one time. I was entering a highway and in the middle of the entrance ramp was this snapping turtle of immense size. I was always amazed by the prehistoric look and power of these things, and this guy wieghed a good 12-15 lbs. There was no way I was gonna let this guy get run over, I picked him up near the back and oh how he tried to snap at my hands but I knew what I was doing and brought him over to the other side of the road where he was trying to go. Snapping turtles are cool. I saved him I think cuz I made other cars go around mine which blocked us from traffic coming from the corner light.

I bet Steve Irwin would have been proud of both of us huh Adam? (Steve Irwin = Crocodile Hunter).
 
adam, what made you look before you dumped the stuff on top of him?
Its so nice to save a life even if its only an animal you saved him, and he knows it.

I remember as a boy, always carrying a knife, not to hurt anybody, but to free the gulls caught in netting, they seemed to know I was there to help them.

Great story,

ste
 
Adam,
What a great story and a perfect illustration of what we all need to do. I'm going to try to remember it cause it is perfect. Isn't MS an amazing place? Thanks to all the guys here.
Paul
 
Adam,

You are so right. We can help each other and offer support, but ultimately it's all up to us. We have to want recovery, commit to the work, and then do it ourselves. We will stumble, but there too others can only encourage us to get up; they can't do it for us.

It's another valuable lesson, Adam. Sounds like you need to find that racoon sometime and throw him an apple! ;)

Much love,
Larry
 
Adam,

Thanks for sharing that story. I have to admit it brought tears to my eye's reading about the little guys strugle and how you related it to recovery. Yes at times it does feel like we are trying to climb a smooth wall with no way out, and just when we are ready to stop just lay down and die someone out of the kindness of there heart pushes a board in front of you so you can climb out and gives you that look of understanding just as your new friend gave you. I have read some of your post and I have too say your courage and strenth is a real imperation to me. Keep up the good fight Adam. You are worth all you are given and you have so much to give to others.

Thanks again for sharing this.

James
 
Adam, That is the best most uplifting story I've heard in weeks. I loved reading it and I could just feel you telling it. I think the world of you man and to read that just gave me the greatest feeling. Thanks!

Dale
 
Adam, your writing was ingenious. It brought tears to my eyes as well. Your right about the first step being the hardest and that fact that we cannot taste freedom until we decide to do it for ourselves. That first step is the beginning of a long journey that has its ups and downs. May yours be a gratifying and freedom filled experience. The ball's in your court now. Thanks once again for the passage. It made me feel good and I'm sure it did the same for the rest of us that read it.

Jason
 
righteous sk -

awesome - you are not alone - animals to me
are very spiritually healing indeed -
and i am sure he appreciated you very much!

way to go dude!
 
so talking to animals is not a sign i'm crazy ? lol, what would i do without all of you? seriously this is the only place i ever didnt feel like i just totaly dont fit in ,guys my age ,you just cant talk to them you know ,i mean 'normal guys'.thats another thing that the guys here have that others dont ,if i told that story to the guys i work with ,first they would think i'm nuts ,but most of all not one of them would get it!you know?you guys get it ,cool.i got to say that once i made the decision to get help i feel like a weight has been lifted ,now all i got to do is follow through.
 
Adam,

I have a suggestion for you, to help you remember this day and this decision later on when you feel low and challenged. Have you seen the thread here about stuffed animals? SO many of us have them (mine is a puppy).

See if you can find one for yourself. And of course, it should be ... a raccoon!! ;)

Much love,
Larry
 
Adam,

You are probably the most sane one around here and I'm not kidding about that. What an incredible story and object lesson in life. And the coolest thing is that you didn't need anybody to explain it to you. You instinctively made the connection between your own situation and that of the little masked beastie. To me that shows a healthiness you may not believe you have.

Good going, Bro.

Lots of love,

John
 
Adam,

Wow, what a cool story! Thanks so much for sharing and reminding us that it really is up to us. Freedom is there if we will only accept it. I am so very glad that you had this experience and once again, thanks for sharing it with us. And as always, I'm here for you as are many others. And what I really think is cool is the fact that you are here for us.

Love ya

Darrel
 
Adam,
I had a very similar experience a few weeks ago. I work as a mailman and the new lady who cleans our station came running in one day scared out of her mind. She was throwing something into the dumpster and Raccoons were in there. We had one in our office a few months ago. The built some new townhouses in the woods behind our station that is next to a river so they have been displaced. The supervisor called animal control but would not respond to this situation. Did not think much about it and figured somehow they would get out. The next day they were still in there. I could relate to how you said they looked so tired and helpless and looked at you right in the eye. I also saw one try to get out but could only get about 60% up the wall. I thought of getting a board like you did so they could get out, but didn't find anything that would work. I finally took a stack of empty what we call "crab pots" which are sort of square size mail containers that can be stacked pretty high when empty. I put some in upside down and stood back for a minute and one came crawling out. The other smaller one was still huddled in the corner and I thought perhaps he was to weak to do it. My ten minute break was about up and I went back to work. A coworker came inside a few minutes later and said the other just got out. It gave me a good feeling to help some of God's creatures, but I did not have the insight into the deeper correlation you so adequately described. Thanks for sharing that experience with us.
Tom
 
What an amazing story.

I wouldn't be where I am in my recovery today if my parents hadn't kicked me out of the house. I begged them to stay -- I didn't want to go out into the world but somehow I did. I think I made the decision too, somehow, because even thought it was hostile at home I could have gone.

Freedom -- its there for the taking,

And yes, I have a stuffed mouse as a pet, his name is Cedrick.
 
Shadow,

You are awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this story. I hope we all have someone to 'jump start' us up that board with a stick once in a while when we need it!

Leosha
 
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