Written by Yesterday, just after I posted, Philippe and I were sitting on the terrace when we spotted some rather adorable little wildlife, our art challenge prompt for today. A little rabbit appeared in the grass just below us and was soon joined by another one, a couple of meters behind it. The first rabbit was rather bold and began immediately hopping out across the drive between our houses in search of adventure. The second rabbit started to follow, but then stopped and froze in the safety of the bushes. We were immediately entranced with this one as it poked its little head out every so often, looking up at us and then looking at the other rabbit. There seemed to be an expression of longing on its face. And then, all at once, it peered to where the other rabbit had only been, now long gone and no doubt finding something amazing. After several minutes, the little rabbit had made no progress at all. Philippe went inside to grab a carrot and threw it a meter ahead in the path the rabbit longed to go. But even the carrot wasn’t enough to assuage its fears and it eventually hopped off in the other direction.
While I was watching this little creature I felt myself cheering it on. “Go!” I was shouting in my head, “You can do it!” I’m now, not entirely sure why, since I didn’t really know what the other rabbit was getting itself into or if that path was indeed a good one. He was, after all, heading in the direction of more humans, but equally kind, so there was nothing to worry about there. And I’ve no idea if there was better food to be found in that direction for my new little friend, it was simply an uncharted path. In my head, I was merely responding to the fact that this little creature really wanted to take that path, but felt paralyzed to actually give it a go. It got me thinking about all of the times when I was one of these two rabbits. Sometimes, I’ll find myself darting ahead with no fear, and other times, I’ll stay safely behind while only wishing I had taken the risk. Being the latter rabbit always leaves me with more regret. Perhaps this is why I found myself urging this little rabbit along as I did.
Sure, I’ve tried plenty of things in a moment of reckless and not quite thought out inspiration that failed miserably, but the act of trying still filled me with an incredible sense of accomplishment. On other occasions, when I just stayed in place and decided to do nothing new at all, I’m always left with a sense of emptiness. An admittedly odd feeling of losing something I never actually had in the first place. It’s the strangest feeling of all, and not one I enjoy repeating. So when I feel the urge to DO something, I throw caution to the wind and try to give it a go. I never have to worry about whether or not I’ll actually be successful, because I’ve learned that that the act of trying is the real measure of fulfillment. True regret can surface in many forms, but the strongest regret usually always comes in the things that we didn’t do. This always leaves room for so much more doubt of what might have happened next had we dared to take that path. A lot of pondering to be sure, born out of a simple chance encounter with that shy little rabbit.
About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Opus (Vivid Pink), Terra Cotta and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop! |
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I love the textures on your rabbit’s fur. I can’t say that I’ve always felt more regret for what I didn’t do – I’ve done some things that I really, really regretted, lol, but overall I agree with your philosophy.
Thanks so much, Sandra! 😃💕hmmm… those are some stories that I’d definitely love to here for sure! 😉 lol
We have lots of rabbits visiting our backyard and always enjoy watching their antics. We found that, contrary to popular belief, they don’t like carrots! The carrot tops, yes, and other greens. We learned this after our kids left out many carrots that remained uneaten, and after we had a small garden where the carrot tops were nibbled to the ground.
hehe! Yeah, we definitely live by the Bugs Bunny rules….lol That’s definitely good to know! 😃💕
adorable!💖
Thanks so much!! 😃💕
Adorable rabbit.supper.
Thanks so much.
Thanks so much, Snehlata! 😃💕 Glad you liked this!
Oooh! Cute bunny. And as for regrets.. I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention!😀
Thanks, Lisa! 😃💕 Too few to mention is the perfect amount! lol
I like the philosophy behind the rabbit tale. It reminds me of how I sometimes feel like the rabbit I saw yesterday. Coming back from the store to my friends house, a rabbit was sitting in the street. As we approached, it zigzagged quickly in front of us, not getting out of the path of the oncoming truck for about 10 seconds as we crept towards it. How often I feel I try this and that direction and none of them are useful!
Awww I feel the same so much of the time my friend!😃💕 But I figure as long as we always head in some direction things are always bound to work out in the end!
Interesting, I totally have the feel of the cotton tail, it is a cute picture, and your writing is fun.
Thanks so much, Nancy! 😃💕 Glad you enjoyed this one!
“the act of trying is the real measure of fulfillment.”
I think one day, instead of consulting Bartlett’s, people will carry an O’Shields’ Compendium of Wisdom and consult it daily. The world will be better for it.
About that little bunny who didn’t, and the picture you painted of him…I hope the path he chose was gentle and lush. You conveyed his hesitancy so entirely perfectly I want to hug that little guy.
That’s so sweet of you to say! Thanks so much, Sarah! 😃💕 hehe.. a compendium, eh? Wow… that would be rather amazing! I’m just so thrilled you enjoy this posts… they’re written on the cuff and from the heart, so it makes me happy to know they resonate and well… even just make any sort of sense at al! 😊
That is one thoughtful bunny, all furry and attentive and adorable on your lawn. You painted his portrait very well. And such a great story about him.
But I have to ask – what’s a meter? We live in the U.S. of A. – we don’t got no stinking meters. We can’t figure ’em out. You’ve got Phillipe, but I gotta go to the Internet. Meters – sheesh.
Lol… I decided to do this one in meters as the US is the ONLY large country in the world still thinking things can be measured in feet. ;-)💕Although I can’t speak French with any sort of acumen yet, my compromise was learning the metric system which is actually far more intuitive. Then our measuring system, and certainly more than the French language itself! That still confounds me. 😊hehe
Yeah, yeah, I really knew about the meter thing a very long time ago. When I was a kid in elementary school, our teacher told us we’d one day be changing to the metric system. I am way older than you, and I still am not seeing any meters around here. Though actually, so much is done with metrics even here. My husband’s business constantly makes him use it. We should have officially changed a long time ago. OK, this old lady is now off her soap box. The bubbles are ready to drown me.
hehe! Yes, there was always talk of changing, but it never happened. It’s weird though, I can now speak metric fluently, but French still alludes me. hehe 😊I figure this is a good compromise though!
So cute. At one time we had 3 rabbits, 2 of them rescues. They were so cute. The first two were what I call “free range” meaning they were never in a cage and used a litter box in my son’s bedroom. The very first one we had was quite brave and would be underfoot even when we had a house full of guests. I would have to tell them to be careful and not punt the rabbit. They are very destructive, especially as babies, but so cute! I have not seen rabbits where I live, probably because of the fox couple that often has its kits on our property (!).
Oh those naughty foxes, but they’re cute as well! hehe… love that story, Shar! 😃💕 Rabbits are so wonderful, it would be amazing to have them around all the time. But yeah, as long they are’t punted by guests, of course! hehe
Beautiful! 🙂
Thanks so much, Yolimar! 😃💕
You’re welcome! 😀