We lost our cat to old age a few months ago, and our children were desperate to have a new pet in the house.
So after much family debate, we ended up with a pair of gerbils.
“Cookie” and “Coffee”.
To welcome them to the family, we got them the luxury Gerbilarium (yes, it’s a real word).
It’s huge. Big enough for 6 gerbils, apparently.
So there was plenty of room to add some tubes, toys, gnawing blocks and a lovely wooden house at one end for them to sleep in.
The house was a real hit, and they spent hours dragging their bedding around to make it really cosy. It was their safe place, and they slept in it every single night.
And every day, they would emerge to explore, play, gnaw, chew and dig around in the sawdust.
Some days, the house would be completely buried in sawdust. Hours later, the sawdust would be piled up at the other end.
They were endlessly busy.
Always digging, gnawing, chewing.
And then, one morning, we came downstairs to find their house completely flattened. They had chewed through the roof and corners of the walls until the whole thing had collapsed in a heap.
The lesson?
Sometimes, we feel compelled to do things that are not in our long term interests.
The short term pleasure of a cigarette comes at the expense of long term health.
The need to avoid situations that cause anxiety can leave you feeling isolated, lonely and stuck.
Feelings of not being good enough can make you miss out on opportunities in life.
You can take action to deal with your compulsions.
Or you can carry on following them and wondering why your house keeps falling down.
Don’t be like the gerbils. Book a session with me online.
Heidi Woodgate