An Old Friend Returns

It has been several weeks since I last wrote. During that time, I became gainfully employed in not one but two jobs. Combined, the two positions became a forty hour a week job and I found myself lacking in time and energy to devote to my writing. Exhausted, I wasn’t even remorseful in my lack of creativity. That was until this afternoon.

Taking a break from my work, I walked into the family room to see what the cats were doing. I looked outside to see the usual contingent of grey and black squirrels noshing on the sunflower seeds left for them. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a small squirrel dash up the tree. To my surprise, it was a red squirrel.

The landscape around my home is ideal for red squirrels but for some unknown reason, it is a rare occurrence to see one in the yard. I cared for a few red squirrels during my rehabilitation days and found them to be noisy, energetic creatures in comparison to the more sedate grey squirrels. I love how they chatter incessantly, scolding everyone who crosses their paths.

I grabbed my camera and tripod and tiptoed outside in hopes of capturing a photograph of the little fellow. Not surprisingly, he quickly scampered up the maple and posed for a few second in the elbow of the tree. I got off a couple of shots until he scooted beyond the scope of my lens.

The wet snow soaked through my shoes so I returned to the warmth of the house. I picked up my binoculars and continued to watch the red squirrel as he sat on a horizontal branch 30-40 feet above the ground. After a period of sitting on the branch looking towards the house, he began to spin around the branch, body parallel to the limb. Around and around he went, pausing only briefly on the top of the branch before circling around again.

The work spell that had dominated my life for two weeks broke this afternoon. No longer do I feel compelled to fill up every waking moment with thoughts of making money and meeting unrealistic, self-imposed deadlines. Nature had tired of waiting for me to come to my senses and sent its most enthusiastic cheerleader to bring me back into the fold. And I am happy to be back.