A Rat is a Rat is a Rat is a Rat is still a Rat … after all!

Jul 19, 2018 by Maria Ritter
A rat is a rat, or is it-not all rats are the same

How do you make peace with rats!?

This hated pest that creeps around your house at night, scares the hell out of you when coming face to face, gnaws cables, invades your attic, drops from trees, disturbs your sleep at night and builds nests in your unused BBQ or under the hood of your stored car?

During a recent visit to The Home Depot, I walked along a whole isle stocked with rodent killers: pellets, traps, sprays, electronic ultrasound rodent repellers, and ads for pest control businesses - promising instant extermination and dead rats!

O rats! Maybe consider a truce for a moment or a word of truth. Remember the cute Mickey Mouse you adore in Disneyland, or the pet rat your Kindergarten teacher brought to class, or a soft Steiff rat you held in your hand for comfort at night?

How do we live with pesty creatures around us? They fight back, too. Our hero, Wilhelm, throws food at nasty trolls in Sweden, makes messes in an IKEA truck, confronts pit bulls and mafia rats, but also learns when to fight and when to be helpful. Our Rat discovers a world full of wonder and adventure.

In Rome, Wilhelm hears about a peace maker – an old Saint by the name of Francis of Assisi, who lived way back in the 12th century. He shared with the people in Gubbio, Italy, a wise lesson about living together in relative peace. It is still pertinent for us today, the story about St. Francis and the Wolf.

Maybe if you read about our rat, Wilhelm and his friends, you may also find a way to make a truce with rats and with yourself. Let me know what you are discovering.

Warmly, Maria
Saint Francis of Assisi