In October 1997 Esther, my first rabbit companion, passed
over the Rainbow Bridge
to the great rabbit fields where I'm sure she's now running, grazing,
and snoozing in the sunlight to her heart's content. Before she
left me, though, she penned
these departing words of wisdom to comfort me in my grief.
The time comes in everybunny's life when she knows the
end is near and it's time to put her affairs in order. I'm not
one
to wallow in sentimentality or self-pity. I've packed a lot of
living
into my 8 1/2 years and now that my life's journey is reaching
it's finish,
I can take pleasure in looking back over my long and
rewarding life. I've had a good, long run and I'd like to share
some of the highlights with you now.
Obviously, I'm proud of my column and the web page
I started this past spring. Few bunnies have had the opportunities
I've had to share my views and opinions with so many friends.
I was please to be invited to contribute to the newsletter of
a
new bunny rescue group's in the United Kingdom, to add some much
needed humor to the very serious subject of homeless rabbits.
But fame is a fleeting thing, as everybunny knows.
And nobunny would be foolish enough to focus
their lives on achieving it. The accomplishments I'm most proud
of lie closer to my home. One of my first challenges
was training my human to respect the lagomorph
lifestyle and (after a bit of give and take) grant me free run
of the
house. I was mom's first rabbit companion, but thanks to my masterful
instruction, I'm sure I won't be her last. My successors will
certainly benefit from the groundwork I laid.
And I'm proud of my determined (though unsuccessful)
efforts to befriend my guinea pig sibling,
Buffy, when I first moved in. Her determination (not to be friends)
turned out to be stronger than mine, but I never gave up
or accepted defeat. It's the rabbit way to take charge of a new
environment,
subtly but firmly transforming it into a rabbit-friendly place.
Nobunny can deny the mark I've left in every room of
my adopted home - a mark that clearly states "a rabbit lives
here!"
Like any self-respecting bunny, I've played
my share of jokes. I remember the many times I hide
among the books on the office shelves, watching mom frantically
search the room calling me. Sometimes she was close
enough to bite (if I was that kind of bunny) and still didn't
see me. Leaping
out from unexpected places to attack mom's shoes when she walked
by never failed to surprise her. And keeping mom awake all
night by boxing her shoes around in the closet was always amusing
(to me at least).
Everybunny enjoys indulging in life's small pleasures,
and I'm no exception. Some of the things I've loved in my life
are
crispy carrots in the morning and luscious apples for lunch. Dancing
around
mom's feet when she tries to walk or snuggling up to her feet
while she works at the computer. Playing with my favorite
chew toys, like the old sundress mom can't wear anymore 'cause
I've
nibbled too many holes in it. Playing tag. Relaxing while mom
brushes me or gives me a face massage and ear rub.
Racing up and down the stairs. Taking a sunbath
on a lazy afternoon. Leaping in the air at the shear joy
of being a bunny. And scarfing down a few too many delicious yogurt
drops (my very favorite treats).
And of course I had my share of adventures. I'll never forget
the great squirrel invasion. Nobunny every defended her home more
bravely than
I did that morning (though mom still disputes my version of events).
The day a bat
got loose in the house, watching mom try to herd it out the front
door was
first-rate entertainment. Even the daily turmoil and excitement
of our home office always kept me hopping, so to speak.
Yes, I've had a rich, full life and I'm ready to
take my well-deserved final rest with no regrets. My life
has been well spent - no unfinished business, no threads in the
pattern of my life left dangling.
I know I'll leave a terrible gaping hole in mom's
life when I go - it can't be helped. I'm too charming
for my own good sometimes. But, as a wise bunny once said, life
goes on even after our race is run. After a suitable period of
mourning,
I'm sure mom will take in another deserving young hopper looking
for a good
home. If she (or he) shares my talent for writing I hope my readers
will soon be laughing and smiling at her wisdom and wit, just
as you have at mine over the past years. But for now, this is
Esther Bunny, the Hip Hop Reporter,
signing off for the last time.
[Note from Esther's Editor (aka "mom": Esther
died peacefully and her spirit hopped on to the Great
Lettuce Patch in the Sky in October. She was buried in a private
ceremony, wrapped in the old
sundress she'd "adopted" as her favorite chewtoy with
an unfinished box of her beloved yogurt
drops by her side. She will be deeply missed.]
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