Seeing Love
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Squirrel hits the jackpot.
We feed the birds. Beyond the kitchen window, a wooden feeder offers a spread of seed for the Chickadees, Sparrows, and Finch that crowd its tiny perches. Juncos eat what spills on the ground, and the Scrub Jays and Crows swing like acrobats from any hold, spilling more. They’d like a handful of peanuts tossed on the ground within their reach, better suited to their size. And then, there’s Squirrel.
Squirrel is out there trying to make a living and wondering why our wildlife feeding station is so poorly designed. Until last week. Seda got a new mattress, and the old one took to leaning against the outside of the house for several days, just past the kitchen window.
“I think the starlings are emptying our feeder,” said Seda. We buy seed they don’t like so well, seeing as how they are non-native.
“Nah, it’s the squirrels,” I said. “I see the feeder swinging, and it’s a big spill every time.”
“Little Nitters!” said Seda. (Admittedly, a tame translation.)
“Well, it’s on us, isn’t it? I mean if we’re going to build a stairway to heaven …” I pointed to the mattress. Seda laughed.
Squirrel happens to be a fox squirrel, non-native like me. And Squirrel is a living being that I respect. I also value a loving state of mind. Seda and I play “second banana” for each others’ jokes all day long, finding our way back to love. Reframing, as we discussed in our first session of the Core Alignment with Joy this past week, is often born from humor. In this case, I also stepped into my power by owning our role in leaving out the mattress.
Today, we will move that mattress. And we will do so not out of anger or bitterness. A part of me will be a little sad, because in taking a picture of Squirrel, in seeing them a little better, I feel more connected. I don’t know how I can support Squirrel and also protect native species, but I know I’m on the path of discovery now. What can I say? My heart is warm for the little Nitter.