Shower Bunny

The Lord is good to all;
He has compassion on all He has made.
-Psalm 145:9

I was taking a shower this morning when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

(Now, before I go any further, I should probably explain that I currently shower outside. And wait... I should probably also explain that I currently shower outside because I don't have an indoor shower. I don't have an indoor shower because my 1880s house is being renovated. Sure, I have a high-speed wireless internet server. I have state-of-the-art laundry facilites. I have a 1700-volume library. But I don't have an indoor bathtub. What I do have is an expensive massaging showerhead that's connected to outdoor plumbing alongside the wall of a sitting room off my bedroom. Therefore, I shower in the backyard. Hopefully my days of simultaneous showering/tanning are numbered.)

Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah... backyard showering. And I kept seeing something out of the corner of my eye. I was starting to get paranoid - every time I'd glance over my shoulder... nothing. But every time I turned back to face the massaging showerhead... there it was again! What in the world??

And then I turned around just in time. I saw it. (Him?) The little bunny. I think it was trying to sneak/scamper across the yard and under my house, only the shower and I were between him and safety.

He froze. I froze. We both stood staring at each other, afraid to make the next move. Slowly, I turned off the shower and sneaked backwards toward the house. Once inside, I exhaled and looked out the window. He was still there. He hadn't flinched.

I ran for my camera which, along with an R2 pen, hardly ever leaves my immediate possession. (Old reporter in me, I guess.) I hurried back. He was still in the exact same spot. Had he died standing up?

CLICK CLICK. I snapped his picture. Then very softly, I told him I was very sorry for flooding his front porch and promised I was going inside for good. He actually moved, which I took as non-verbal confirmation that we had an understanding. And I guess we did, because once I went inside, he hesitated and hopped past the shower and under my house.

It's strange to be showering in backyards with bunnies. Strange and humbling, too. I mean, here we are - all creatures of our God and King - sloshing in the same water and sleeping under the same sky. And all of us so dependent... so dependent, and so inextricably tied to our Maker.

Yes, going without an indoor bathtub is tough. I'll be glad when it's over. But it's been good in a strange and humbling way. It's reminded me that the Lord is good to all, and has compassion on all He has made.

What a good God.

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
-Francis of Assisi