I’m moving this week to a new abode, a new town and a new adventure. I’m excited about the possibilities but I will miss my home office, where a bird feeder hung right outside my window. Over the years I cherished watching my birds fly in to enjoy the treats. In the winter, flocks of goldfinches arrived. In the summer, baby cardinals were fed by their moms.
But then there are those dang squirrels.
I bang on the window, I yell at them, I threaten to put them in a gumbo (you know I really won't) but to no avail. I swear sometimes they turn and give me the bird, pun intended, then continue eating everything in sight.
I do want them to eat as well as my birds, just not everything in the feeder!
Over time I decided to let go and let squirrel — seems like a good philosophy for our times. They’re just trying to survive like the rest of us.
As I pack up and leave my birds and squirrels, here’s what I have learned over the years from those pesky critters:
· Challenges in life make you an acrobat. To get what you want, you have to bend.
· If there’s something you really want, such as birdseed or writing a novel, nothing can stop you from getting it.
· Forget the crazy woman — or other things in life — tapping at the window trying to get you to stop, even if that crazy woman is yourself. Be brave and continue to follow your dream. Keep your eye on the prize and ignore the rest.
· If the crazy woman — or other things in life — do scare you away, remember it’s temporary. Try again. And maybe if you do get scared away for a brief moment in time, it might mean someone else, like the resident cardinal, for instance, gets a chance at the birdseed and you receive time to regroup.
· Life is a steady stream of inspiration. There will always be someone to restock the bird feeder. And yes, in the case of my squirrel, that's me. Or at least it was for the lovely time I lived in my home.
