Watching the Squirrel

Initially I did not want to feed the squirrels.  We would try to scare them off.  “Dude, it’s a BIRD feeder.”

A seemingly friendly little squirrel hops up and hogs the whole table.  I thought the birds would be scared away, but they still come.

Rich and I wanted to be bird watchers, but now we like the squirrel, and this morning I realized why watching our little friend is good for me.

The squirrel is in the moment.  That little sucker is going to get as much seed as he can.  He does not give a shit what the birds think. He does not seem too concerned about other predators either.  The birds, they are always a little freaked out.  Their heads jut around this way and that, a palpable fear that something is going to get them.  

Hey birds, I get that feeling too.

I am never sure what the actual predator is in my life, but I know it is there and I’m on alert.  Something is going to go wrong and if I think hard enough, I will be able to prevent it from happening.  Of course, some giant predator actually could swoop down on the birds, whereas my predators are mostly inside my head.

I look back at the squirrel.  He seems content.  He is jumping around, is he having fun?  Maybe he is scared, but it does not stop him.  He stays on the table for a long time until he gets all the seed he needs.