Every Man's Mouse

Disney, yes. Mickey, no.

A couple of weeks ago, I was re-watching a couple of movies from my childhood, "The Rescuers", followed by its sequel, "The Rescuers Down Under".

But what are the Rescuers? They're mice. Yep. The Rescue Aid Society is a council of mice that meet within the United Nations building to answer the call to help anyone who needs it. Especially when it comes to rescuing adorable kiddos from psycho adults.

Penny and Medusa from "The Rescuers"
You can totally tell that Medusa's a villain because she's holding a teddy bear hostage. 

Cody and McLeach from "The Rescuers Down Under"

Australia is all fun and games until you get captured by a poacher who wants to kill all of your animal friends. 

The protagonists for both movies are Bernard and his partner Miss Bianca, the Rescue Aid Society's representative from Hungary, voiced by Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor, respectively.

Bernard

Miss Bianca

While the intrepid Miss Bianca could probably have a short post of her own, this post is primarily about Bernard. 

Let me introduce you to this glorious mouse:

Bernard came from humble beginnings. He wasn't always an agent and the representative of the good ol' U.S. of A. In fact, he was the janitor for the Rescue Aid Society, doing his duties without complaint. That is, until Miss Bianca personally asks him to be her escort on her very first mission. 

Bernard is a gentleman. He was the one that suggested Miss Bianca have an escort in the first place. He holds her umbrella, carries her luggage, and above all, saves her life. Multiple times. He never complains. Not even once. 

Bernard believes he's average. A nobody. He's actually quite the opposite. Bernard is ready to step up and rescue those kids in peril, endangering his own life in the process. He sacrifices himself time after time for the benefit of others. When Miss Bianca is accidentally captured. Bernard tames a vicious wild pig and rides it throughout the night to find her.  

Bernard on his way to steal yo girl. 

Unless someone steals his own first! 

Watching these movies again made me realize that I absolutely love Bernard. And here's why. Because he's just like all of us. 

Bernard has no superpowers. He doesn't have money, or power, or fame. He never went to college. He's not a prodigy. He's just your everyday boy next door, with his own hopes, dreams, and fears. But he's willing to set those fears aside for those he loves and for those he's never met. Bernard strives to better himself every day, even though life gets in the way sometimes. He does the best he can with what he's been given. 

And, with the help of a cast of cute characters, always manages to stop the bad guy in the end. 

I think there's a little bit of this mouse in all of us. No, we aren't mice. But we do have potential. And we have been gifted with various gifts and talents. While we may not get caught up in death-defying action, we still are extraordinary, each in his or her own way. 

We've been created for different purposes, and like Bernard, we're often hesitant to embrace them. But once we do, who knows what kind of adventures we'll be swept into.