Brain Injury Blog by Marie G. Cooney
May 3, 2011
Tucker Taught Me… Let’s Chase Rabbits!
Sometimes, I get sad during spring. Winter has been too long and too cold. Everything is a muddy mess. And that’s when my father died. One day, it’s bright and cheering. Then it’s dark and gloomy. The birds magically reappear. Then they mysteriously disappear. Sometimes, I don’t exactly know why I am so sad or why the tears come so quickly. I’ve always been a person with a wide range of emotions. But ever since my traumatic brain injuries, I’ve had what is referred to as heightened emotions, while others might have dampened emotions. Almost everyone with a brain injury will struggle with anxiety, depression and other emotional changes.
Tucker, however, loves spring. He runs here and there sniffing out all the terrific smells, and even some icky ones. Like a private detective, he snoops out the trail of scents that others have left behind, and then follows a path of clues that only he recognizes. Like an Olympic runner, Tucker likes to sprint as fast as he can on four paws after squirrels. He doesn’t even care that they always make it up a tree and seem to chitter chatter down to him, “Ha! Ha! You can’t catch me!” Tucker never listens to me, when I try to explain, “No matter how much you bark at them, the squirrels are never going to come down!”
That’s why Tucker loves the “Let’s Chase Rabbits” game most of all during early spring. Tucker and I get more exercise, which is good for both of us. Rabbits, being great magicians, run here, there, and everywhere. They disappear down one hole or another, only to reappear again and again and again, quite miraculously here and there and everywhere! No matter how awful I might have felt before, I always feel better after playing hide and seek with Tucker and his rabbit friends, who love lots of exercise. Exercise is good for everyone, especially if suffering from depression, anxiety and other symptoms of TBI.
One day, rabbits keep popping up here and there and disappearing once again. Each time, Tucker was a sprinter right out of the starting blocks. Each time the magicians disappeared. And then suddenly I saw the most unbelievable sight I’ve ever seen! “NO, Tucker, no!” I yelled. But like the strongest stallion, he was after the rabbit with the carrot. “Tucker, COME!” I screamed. And yet he didn’t. He kept on running and running. “NO, TUCKER NO!” I yelled, “That’s the Easter Bunny!”
Tucker never heard me, but eventually he came back as happy as ever to have had the best chase! I really couldn’t reprimand Tucker, because he did eventually come back. Besides, Tucker did help me find the little child, who was supposed to get the dropped basket. So that made everything all better and him a very good dog!
Ever since I sustained two TBIs, I have had difficulty with memory, some higher executive functioning, and planning skills. So, I really hadn’t planned on what happened, nor had Tucker.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget to keep him on leash again, when it is most important. But if on some spring day, you find yourself sad, disappointed, hurt or any other troubling and escalating emotions, try to remember what Tucker taught me: “Let’s Chase Rabbits!”…. just not the Easter Bunny, please!
Marie G. Cooney is a playwright, writer, story teller and public speaker
I am blogging for Lash and Associates Publishing/Training Inc. They provide resources for people with brain injuries, family, friends, and professionals. Your comments at the above link are greatly appreciated as I hope to publish the series of short stories as a book some day.
