Sticky Situation

So I was thinking about the debacle I was part of last week. It was a mess...

I had just gotten home from a bit of Christmas shopping. I was pleased with my purchases and the wind down I had planned before bed was to sit and admire what I bought while going over the remainder of my list. But first things first, I had to do my last social media scroll of the night. When I got to my room earlier, I sat my bookbag on a shelf next to my bed and the store bags on the floor. As I was sitting on my bed, scrolling contently and basking in the after glow of a successful shopping excursion, I began to hear a faint rustle. I thought maybe there was a plastic bag under my bookbag and everything was settling, but I glanced and that bag was just on top of a couple magazines. The rustling persisted and I thought maybe it was my biggest shopping bag settling on top of my smaller bags, so I moved those bags and as I did, I noticed a small mouse stuck on a trap, but still wriggling around!! Now, this sticky trap had been under my bed for the longest and I guess when Mickey Jr got stuck, but didn’t die, he was able to scoot itself out😩😩.
Y’all. I screamed, dropped the bags on the bed, and hopped my big grown self up there all in one fell swoop! I was standing on my bed having a complete conniption fit! I didn’t know WHAT to do! My landlord lives in the building, so I called him twice and didn’t get an answer. I even texted him in all caps, to no avail. Then, I called my brother who lives like 5 minutes away. I was hollering in his ear like, “IT’S A MOUSE! Help me!! HELP MEEEEEEEEEE!!” I was hysterically yelling at him to come get this mouse all while bouncing on my bed in fear and disgust as I watched MJ try to wriggle and climb his way off the sticky trap! My brother refused to come because he claimed to be just as afraid as me. He’s actually friends with my landlord’s son, so I asked for his number since I was all sorts of discombobulated and couldn’t find his name in my phone. I called and texted him, NO ANSWER! Keep in mind, that everything that you’re reading is happening as I simultaneously stand on my bed, bouncing around in fear, with sporadic outbursts of screams, tears, prayers, and cussing. 😩 I’m sure I was quite the sight to behold. I made one more call to a friend, she knows who she is, lol. I have no idea why I called her because she couldn't come to help, but I think I just needed someone to share in this horror I was experiencing. I'm so grateful to her because, even though she laughed at me, she allowed me to cry and scream, and cuss, and call Jesus without (much 😆) judgment. She even tried to give me tips that I dismissed because that would mean me getting close to MJ! Somewhere during our call, after I discovered that 24 hr exterminator services are just to give quotes and send somebody out during business hours, my landlord's son got back to me.
Now let me see if I can make a long story shorter. I finally got in touch with my landlord's son and he graciously came over to help me. He caught me just in time because I had packed a bag to go to my mother's house for the night...or the week if needed. He laughed at me too, but graciously came and scooped lil MJ up and carried him into the night, which took all of 2 minutes after about 45 minutes of me LOSING it! 
MJ was finally gone, my heart rate slowed down to normal, I sanitized the area, and the fear and panic left just as quickly as it came. And honestly, I felt a bit foolish. MJ was trying to get himself off that trap because he was probably way more afraid of me. He was also pretty small and unless the glue of the trap was going to mutate him into some sort of human sized rodent, I really didn't have anything to worry about. Now don't get me wrong, critters make me feel violated, burglarized even. They're disgusting, but nothing to spaz over. I got a couple revelations from this experience.

• I shouldn't sweat the small stuff - I'm sure my blood pressure was elevated because I had a headache when it was all over. Fear had gripped me and rid me of all courage and rational thinking. It reminded me of an acronym that my old pastor and a former Sunday School teacher used all the time back in the day: False. Evidence. Appearing. Real. I envisioned the most awful, worst case scenarios when I saw MJ. How many times have I/we fretted over the most minute things, only to find that it was no big deal and the stories we made up in our head were non factors?
• God laughs - He MUST have a sense of humor. I can imagine Him cracking up at me/us when we're worried and stressing and throwing tantrums, when all the while He's got everything under control and has proven Himself time and time again, but for whatever reason we forget. 

I will strive to not be overcome with fear and hold on to my faith and the memories of past triumphs. Thanks for the lesson MJ, but you and the rest of your lil homies need to stay OUT! 😉