Long Overdue Post but there's been a war, etc.

No excuses. But Covid and the war in Ukraine have done a number on me - I realized I was turning into one of THOSE people and it was time to stop. So I am backkkk.

This post is about prickliness and kindness. My daughter rescued a pygmy African hedgehog from a kid who’d lost interest, and it was nothing but a ball of prickles. Didn’t want anything to do with being touched, lived a solitary life in its cage with only a hamster wheel for fun. She’d take it out of the cage to let it run around and all it did was try to find a place to hide. She worked on it, held it despite the ball of needles it was, talked to it, and generally forced it to like her. She’s good at that. Animals all adore her. And finally, after months of work, Nesta responded to her love.

Nesta would curl up on my daughter’s chest, snuggle with her under the blankets, and run around for fun. We were all impressed. Then the horrible effects of interbreeding (African pygmy hedgehogs are bred in one place, Petersburg, Va.) struck. Wobbly Hedgehog syndrome. Fatal within months. Nesta staggered like a drunkerd, unable to walk. She had an infected toe. The vet operated because Nesta was so cooperative. She became a fav at the vet’s office. Antibiotics, steroids, and an array of meds were prescribed. Nesta never complained. And she lived on. For a year. Then longer, much to everyone’s astonishment.

We babysat Nesta while our daughter was on vacation, and giving her meds was no problem. I’d turn Nesta on her back, scratch her tummy and under her chin, and she practically waved her little feet with pleasure. We supported her while she tried to walk, and she managed some steps all on her own. When she grew tired, I’d stroke her sides, the spikes laying flat as she responded to my touch. She seemed happy.

Then suddenly, Nesta gave up. She left us, and we all mourned and missed her sweet self. And I was left with a lifelong example of how kindness and love can uncurl a ball of prickliness. In people as well as animals.

Prickly people drive me crazy. Why be unlikeable? What caused you to shut out all kindness and empathy? More than ever, I’m convinced it takes seeing that person through the eyes of love, no matter what. Because somewhere underneath that ball of spikes, there’s a soft tummy that wants to be petted. That will respond to the healing touch of love. In animals as well as humans.