Bloody Fingers

With the focus of lowering a sleeping infant into her crib, the mechanic at Advanced Auto carefully placed the new battery into my truck. He was tall on purpose, six-foot-three to be exact. I know because I asked. In small talk, I learned he was from Africa. We marveled, he by memory, me by National Geographic, at the vast beauty of the continent. And then, without hint or warning, he brought up his childhood. He started with rats. Yes, rats.

The young man said he grew up with 10-15 rats in his home day and night. He said these rats do something at night I had never heard of in my life.

“Rats can smell what you ate during the day,” he said.

“When you go to sleep they want to get the food out of your body.”

I was as speechless then as you are right now.

He explained how these rats go to your fingers, the last thing that touched your food, and while you sleep they begin to bite your fingers in hopes of getting to your nourishment. Then he explained how after each bite, the rat will blow cold air on your fingers so you won’t wake up.

I was as speechless then as you are right now.

The rat bites, blows. and then bites again. The cold air numbs you. It isn’t until the morning when you see blood on your fingers that you realize something was eating you all night without your knowledge.

All I needed was a battery; what I got was a new perspective on life. Wisdom really does arrive unannounced.

Let me ask you a question. What or who is eating you?

What is happening in your life that is taking life from you? Has he/she/it been blowing cold air on your passion for so long your nourishment is nearly gone?