My first encounter with death, was when my bunny Skutt (meaning Bounce in Swedish) of Russian breed, suddenly feel ill, with diarrhoea and shaky legs. I was about 9 years old and while my mother tried to help her by feeding her with water and sugar, she didn't want to eat herself. So, we took Skutt to the vet, who thought she had the plague and put her to sleep. After we buried my bunny in the garden, and some time had passed, I got a new one. Later in life, I have also had a couple of bunnies as a grown up. It simply is my favorite animal to have as a pet, besides horses. The question is, though, how did this come to have an impact on me and my life?
Bunnies are about fears and love. And jumping with joy! A bunny warns her flock by stamping on the ground, either once or twice, and then run to hide. This was in fact something I used, when I tried to train mine to not chew at my cords, by stamping myself, which wasn't that effective. Nonetheless, my experience with Skutt, must have followed me. It is how I get sick sometimes, when I feel threatened. And in fact, regular bugs are a threat to our immune-system. But why the shaking legs?
What I can't explain by psychological or physical reasons, I often let it be a spiritual opening for interpretation. Maybe it simply is Skutt warning me from heaven.
Illustration by my Dad, C-J Charpentier.