Good News, Bad News
I got notification that the burglar alarm sounded in our office building at 2:16am Monday. The good news: no actual burglar. The bad news: the security camera showed some type of bird flapping around inside our building.
I arrived at work early on Monday to deal with the situation. I was relieved when Lexi arrived at the same time. I explained to her that we might encounter a bird as we were walking into the office. She seemed calm— especially given it was her first day back to in-person work since the pandemic. Together we scouted out each room on the first floor and all seemed well. No sign of a bird nor any bird-related damage.
We headed upstairs to where my office is. It was instantly apparent that the air conditioner had stopped working on the second floor. The thermostat said it was 89 degrees. I started sweating, still moving cautiously and searching for the bird. There was no sign of any foul play within my office. The hallway was clear. Same for the kitchen.
But when we turned the corner to my sister Nicki’s office, there it was, nestled in between the window fan and the screen. And it was not a bird…
It was a bat.
He was sleeping. I may have screamed a little.
I quickly closed the door to Nicki’s office so Lexi and I could discuss what to do next. That’s when I heard both Nicki and Jessica coming up the stairs. It was now 8 AM, the start of our week, and the first day that our employees were returning to the office for in-person work. There we were, four of us trying to determine how to deal with a bat. We called pest control, only to be informed they don’t “do bats.” Mice, yes. Bugs, yes. Bats, no.
We had to take the matter into our own hands. Nicki put on the kitchen rubber gloves we use to wash dishes and I grabbed the biggest serrated knife we had. Together we opened the door to her office. There was the bat, hanging quietly in the window.
I am petrified of bats.
I also knew we weren’t going to do anything that would hurt him. The goal was to figure out how to open up the screen to let him out safely. We couldn’t do it from the outside because we had no ladder to get to the second floor. If we tried to pop the screen out from the inside, we risked the bat flying in, not out.
We decided we’d attempt to release the bat through from screen by cutting it (the screen, not the bat). The good news was that the knife was really sharp, and I was able to easily slice through the screen on the right side of the bat effortlessly. He didn’t budge. He was still wedged between the screen and the window fan. Next, I sliced through the screen on the left side no problem. Now we had two parallel cuts in the screen on either side of him. The last step was a final cut across the top of the screen to create a flap, and hopefully that would be enough to release him outside.
Don’t forget: it was 89 degrees in the office. I was sweating. Nicki was sweating. Jessica was taking pictures of the entire scene (definitely not included in this post). Lexi remained calm and that’s when I found out she actually doesn’t mind bats. Nicki moved closer to the window and was able to push it up with the grip of her rubber gloves. She loosened the fan just enough to give me space to make the final cut across the top of the screen.
In one swoop, I sliced open the screen, the flap fell forward, and the bat woke up and flew outside. Nicki even grabbed the fan before it fell out the window. The screen was completely destroyed, but we all agreed it seemed like a very small price to pay for the bat mission we had successfully completed.
How funny that a month ago we were planning for our team’s return to in-person work. I never anticipated our first day back would include a burglar alarm, a knife, a bat, and some screaming. I’m chalking the whole encounter up to teamwork. The bat could have shown up any other day in the past year and I would have been working at the office alone. Instead, it arrived on the exact Monday that our team was returning to in-person work. We instantly rallied, shared ideas, worked as a group, and figured out how to fix the dilemma quickly.
Since Monday, the air conditioner has been repaired, the screen has been replaced, and we are officially back.
This Week’s Resources
Got Writer’s Block?
You may want to download this terrific guidebook. It’s called Plunging in, Pressing On: The Wavering Writer’s Friend by Austin Kenefick. Austin spent his career as a journalist and created a simple, 52-page book filled with his favorite writing tips and techniques. You can download it for free on the Apple bookstore. It’s a wonderful reference book for a student trying to draft a paper, as well as an inspiring manuscript for the experienced writer trying to get better at his or her craft.
Dermatology PSA
Once a year, I send out a reminder about the importance of getting an annual skin check-up from a dermatologist. With summer always comes the danger of too much sun exposure. In 2016, I needed to have surgery for what seemed like a tiny pimple on my cheek that wasn’t going away. My doctor’s concern turned out to be valid: the biopsy showed the spot was pre-cancerous and needed to be removed. It required MOHS surgery, followed by significant plastic surgery, 100 stitches down my cheek to repair the damage, and a 12-week recovery. I’m pleased to say five years later that I am fine. Friends, please book your annual check-up with your favorite dermatologist. I’ll be forever grateful for mine.
Ubiquity University
There have been many studies done on better understanding our post-pandemic world. Check out this site that a friend of mine recently shared. They post something new every day, and the speakers are global, inspiring thinkers. Think of it like a Ted Talk but in a classroom for 2 hours at a time. It’s free, and you can learn more here: https://ubiverse.org/groups/humanity-rising-global-solutions-summit
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