Visiting the grandchildren… from my archives.

Ate breakfast on the porch this morning looking at an overcast sky, colored like a big bowl of melted vanilla ice cream. Kept looking for some color to show up, to marble its beauty, but the ice cream color held till mid-afternoon when light gray clouds started to move in and small streaks of blue started peeking through when the clouds bumped and bounced off each other. The birds usually enjoy rainy days. The fighting finches came back today in a little flock. The males are so pretty with their raspberry red heads and breasts. The females have a muted beauty that’s grayish brown and black. The males are loud and aggressive, fighting over their favorite feeder. The females just visit the other feeders pleasantly.

Came in to do some reading in mid-afternoon and fell asleep and slept through the sunset! So sad I missed it! I know it was beautiful in the cloud filled sky when Mother Nature picked up her palette and watercolor brushes and stroked her vivid colors across the horizon. It’s wonderful that she doesn’t care if we look or not, she paints her soul into those magnificent sunsets, telling the day goodnight and the night good day. Father Sky is probably struggling through the cloud covers over the moon and stars, trying to wake them and pin them to the navy night canopy in the sky.

Today, I was a squirrel watcher. The squirrels were all over the neighborhood. I’d never noticed their silky fur colors till one visited a bird feeder, sitting on the pole’s top, stealing the sunflower seeds with his hands, close enough to the porch for me to get a good look. I think it was the squirrel I call Fatty. I’m always so busy running them off I don’t really observe them. I’ve just been watching them for the past few days and they are so handsome. Their fur isn’t just gray and white, it’s full of red and brown and black highlights. Their eyes are liquid black and intelligent, their hands large and strong. They are bold and aggressive, hard little workers, seriously guarding their territory.

The squirrels bark at me all the time when I’m filling up the bird feeders but they can also chatter and scream and purr. I marvel at them running down the old oak trees face first and their cork screw climbs as they chase each other up and around the tall oak tree trunks.

I read that the squirrel is the most intelligent rodent but if you watch them when a car is coming down the street, you’d think they are the most unintelligent with their indecisive thoughts of which way to run. Got to give them credit for a good work ethic. The gray squirrels fill their winter cupboards with 10,000 nuts, burying up to 50 an hour!

I watch them leap off the power lines and land on the thin branches of tall bamboo and quickly run down before the limb has time to bend and drop them. They can leap 10 times their body length! I also read they can turn their ankles 180 degrees to face any direction when climbing. They’re really little aerial acrobats. I love how their tale looks like a question mark when they stand up. And their teeth, constantly growing, takes a lot of chewing to keep them in control. Guess they spend their whole lives in trees foraging for food, raising their babies, escaping from predators, and taking shelter from the weather. Going to get them some corn on the cobs to celebrate National Squirrel Day on January 21.

After writing about my squirrel friends, I realized we can really learn a few lessons from those whimsical little creatures. We need to always be curious about the world in which we live. We don’t need to lose the childlike wonder that peaks our interest and imagination and makes us marvel at the world’s beauty. Take time to watch the birds and the squirrels and the beauty of the sunsets and sunrises. Look after your family and friends and help them on their journeys. Help them collect memories and photos to sustain them in the coming years. Learn how to play and learn how to be productive. Learn how to plan for the future and how to save your acorns for rainy days.

We also need to persevere and watch out for opportunities that come our way. Have goals and ambitions. Those little squirrels realized quickly they can hide away a cache of sunflowers seeds easily from the bird feeders. The world is a glorious habitat but life is a struggle and we need our faith in God to help us along the way, especially when we have difficult times. Don’t give up, keep praying and listening to God’s words. Our faith can keep our eyes on our destination. Watch a squirrel on a squirrel proof feeder. They just don’t give up trying to access the seeds. They just keep trying, thinking the next time they’ll be successful. Be resourceful like the squirrels.

A squirrel is just a squirrel. He doesn’t try to change his world or change himself. He goes about his daily chores with all the energy of just being a squirrel. We should be just a “squirrel.” Success and happiness come from being ourselves and living our lives based on our values. A life full of joy allows you to live a life of purpose. Being true to yourself will be your guide to living a fulfilling life.

“The squirrels, leaping joyfully from branch to branch: not a single one doubts its existence.” — Marty Rubin