Bun is a powerful force in my life. At times I forget what a small creature she is.
A good adjective for Bun is smol: “something extremely small and cute.” (Urban Dictionary)
Despite her 6-pound (2.7 kg) weight, she plays an outsize role in helping me manage my health.
There are the basics: eating and sleeping.
Greens are an important dietary staple for Bun (after hay, of course). Kale, chard, endive, komatsuna, bok choy, radicchio, fennel are just some of the crunchy snacks that Bun has onboarded onto our menu.
Sleeping figures prominently in her routine. A side effect of my treatment is exhaustion and I’m happy to no longer be in competition for how little sleep I can get by on. Naps are a winning strategy.
Bun’s influence on my behavior goes well beyond her modeling good eating and sleeping habits.
When we first brought Bun home, I knew cracking the code of rabbit behavior would be work. Independent, yet social; standoffish, yet playful. Almost more catlike than cats. I needed to adopt a zen-like quality in my interactions with Bun if I was to succeed in forming a strong bond with her. Her smol-ness made it exceedingly difficult to not rush the process. She’s so soft and huggable! Except that she detests being picked up or hugged. I had to dial down my earnestness.
After many hours of practice, I learned her likes and dislikes. Along the way, she started to trust me. We navigated trips to the vet, extreme weather, general grooming (although trimming her nails remains a perilous task that requires two adults). I have grown into a proud rabbit owner!
What I was not prepared for was how my relationship with Bun helps my mental health. At a basic level, caring for her pushes aside the worries in my head. Understanding Bun confers deeper benefits as well. Staying calm under pressure and not trying to over control a situation are important techniques in caring for Bun. These skills also happen to be super helpful in probably every other situation in my life.
Does everyone need to run out and get a rabbit? Maybe not. But the world might be a better place if everyone had a rabbit (cat, dog, chicken) to love.
Wellness Officer Percy serves in Yuba City, CA, and gave me the idea of a job title for Bun: Wellness Director. Thank you to readers Gloria and Sharon for passing along this intel. Here are two feel-good stories about Percy:
The internet tells me that smol is also a company that sells environmentally friendly cleaning products. I haven’t tried any of their products, but if anyone here has and loves them, please let me know.
Fine writer and reader of Substack—we are starting a movement to get a poetry section added to the platform. Can I ask, are you with us?
https://substack.com/profile/10309929-david/note/c-15579327
If so, please consider clicking the above link and liking the Notes post—leave a comment or even share within your own community. Poetry lives on in the minds of hearts of writers, it breathes on the page.
Your voice can be heard among the starry illuminations, howling at the moon.
Thank you for your time and support.
Love and appreciation,
David