I usually take the lake route to work. I drive past Lake of the Isles and weave my way into downtown down 28th street to Park and into work….I’ve noticed lately that there seem to be a lot more squirrels taking their lives into their hands. It’s almost like they enjoy playing dodge cars but the risks are much higher.
I am often slamming on my breaks to avoid the darting squirrel….I wonder what they are thinking. It’s like dodge ball trying to get around the lakes without hitting them. Do they sit on the side of the road and wait until the last possible moment to try to cross the street? And why do they dash out, sort of pause, turn and then turn again like they can’t make up their little squirrel minds about which way to go? What is up with that? I worry I may be turning into a squirrel.
Life comes at us fast and furious. I feel like I’m always running around, going from here to there to here all while trying to maintain my sanity and it’s getting harder and harder. The change of seasons presents its own stresses. I have what I believe are seasonal allergies and also many of my co-workers are working through their end of summer colds/allergies as well. The endless sneeze fests and those coughing up their lungs around me add extra stress and pressure to my day. I am pumping myself full of Vitamin C and Purelling every time I leave a meeting just to stay ahead of all that is flying around me. It’s exhausting!
It’s also the time of year I love best, cool sunny days that scream apple picking or drives around to look at the leaves changing….which is hard to make the time to do….but my soul is crying out for it…so I will try to squeeze it in…this is why I feel like an out of control squirrel.
Go here, do this, be there, be nice, spend time with friends, see your family, clean my house, make dinner, wash my car, do my shopping, hang my wine rack…so much to do and thus I spin in circles…I really need to get some people….for real this time.
I was curious about the symbolic meaning of feeling like a squirrel…so I googled it….and of course found all I needed to know and more. One places suggests that a squirrel is a message to us to remind us to have more fun and to take life a little less seriously. Ok…I can buy that. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and worn out by life so I can definitely get on board with the have more fun piece. It goes on to talk about how a squirrel is known to save and hide its food to survive the winter months and it may be a sign to us to take a deeper look into our own lives and be sure we have the “provisions” we need to survive. Ahhh…this squirrel metaphor is turning out to be deeper than I had even imagined when I began dodging them on my drive.
So…what do I need to consider for myself? This is a deeper question and one that will require some thought. One message goes on to talk about how a squirrel only actually finds a very small percentage of their nuts and keeps them safe for later use. That the message here is one of balance…we reap what we sow. It’s telling us to be mindful in our moment and to be the seeds we plant in our own life. Ahh, these social creatures who are much more clever and meaningful that I ever imagined. Who knew that they were such social creatures, often traveling in a pair or packs, which means they are much like myself. The squirrel reminds us to communicate with others but to honor those around us at the same time…so this little gather is really just preparing for the future and reminding us to get our ducks in a row to be prepared for what it to come.
So after having some time to ponder and work through this, I think it’s not actually so bad if I feel/act like a squirrel…it means I am simply getting prepared for the future.
Nuts for my friends!
