Mice on the Move

I hate mice. Always have. Always will. I’m one of those people who will scream out loud at the mere sight of a mouse. It’s happened multiple times, and while I guess I should be embarrassed, I’m not. I really can't stand them that much. In my mind, they’re nasty little creatures.

This past week, we caught three mice in our garage. Ugh. Huge thanks to my husband for being the champion in this situation, because I just can’t—physically or mentally—deal with them.

The downside is that I think I’m unintentionally passing my phobia onto my three-year-old daughter. Ever since we caught the first mouse, she’s been obsessed. Every morning, she asks, “Mommy, where’s the mouse? Mouse gross.” When we go into the garage, she always says, “Mouse scary,” then turns her hands into little claws and pretends there’s a mouse climbing up my leg. She even asks to see the mouse pictures on my phone. It’s becoming a bit of a fascination for her—curious little girl!

After dealing with three mice (and probably more lurking), I brought it up to my parents during a recent visit. What started as a quick mention turned into an impromptu “mouse story time” that made for an unexpectedly fun evening. My dad’s stories, in particular, gave us a good laugh—and even a little life lesson.

My dad grew up on a dairy farm, so he’s no stranger to hard work. He’s milked cows, hauled hay, dug ditches, changed sprinklers, and driven tractors—all the chores that come with farm life. His upbringing instilled in him a strong work ethic, and I’m grateful for the values he’s passed on to me.

One day, after a long afternoon working in the fields, it was my dad’s turn to milk the cows. As usual, he went into the barn, where everyone would swap out their regular shoes for big irrigation boots. Being a typical teenager, he wasn’t very careful about how he left his boots—he would just kick them off and let them land however they did.

On this particular day, his boots were lying on the ground. Without thinking, he took off his shoes and slipped his foot into one of the boots… only to find a mouse inside! Chaos erupted. The mouse was clawing and biting, trying to escape, while my dad was hopping around, yipping, and yanking at the boot. In the commotion, he managed to kick the milk tank, and BAM! He broke his toe.

He limped around for weeks, nursing his broken toe from a run-in with that tiny mouse. But here’s the kicker—no pun intended—the mouse got away!

You’d think that experience would have taught him to be more careful. But no. The next summer, the exact same thing happened. He left his boots lying around again, and, sure enough, another mouse had made itself at home. This time, in the midst of the chaos, he kicked a wall and broke a toe—on the other foot!

As my dad recounted the story, he laughed and said, “You’d think I would’ve learned the first time! But it took two broken toes for the lesson to sink in.”

That night, we shared a good laugh over his misadventures, but there was also something deeper in the story. Isn’t it funny how often we go through life like this? How many times do we need to learn the same lesson before it sticks?

For my dad, it was as simple as standing his boots upright to keep the mice out. But because it seemed like a minor thing, it didn’t get his attention—until he paid the price twice.

When we think about it, it’s often the small, simple things that can make the biggest difference in our lives. Yet, we tend to overlook them because they don’t seem “grand” enough to warrant our focus. It might be something like taking five minutes off social media to read a book, skipping that extra scoop of ice cream, going for a short walk, or taking a moment to pray. These small actions seem insignificant, but they add up, especially when we make them a daily habit.

Moral of the story: We all have our own experiences and lessons to learn, and that’s part of life’s beauty. But sometimes, paying attention to the simple things up front can help us avoid unnecessary pain down the road.

Here's to focusing on the simple things!

Erica❤️🌺

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