In my 21 years of living in Jamaica, I had never seen a single squirrel until I migrated to the United States. When I laid eyes on what looked like little fluffy tailed rats, I thought they were cute and cuddly looking as though they were suited to be pets. I lacked the understanding of the hidden nature of squirrels so today I will intentionally be taking the opportunity to spend time with nature to observe the behavior of these mysterious nut eating creatures. There are so many hidden gems of perspectives we can gain from squirrels on just about how, we as human beings, can approach our every day encounters. Here is an account of my time spent observing the squirrels:
11:35am – walked around the oak trees on my complex to locate any squirrels
11:40am – spotted two squirrels hanging out on thick branches of a tree. They detected my presence so curiously they paused to observe me.
11:45am – the squirrels had clear suspicions about my presence so they ascended to higher branches where I could not see them anymore.
11:50am – waited and wandered around to see if they would reappear but they never did so I decided to change my location.
11:53am – spotted a new squirrel that was on the ground standing on it’s two back legs and chewing at something it was holding in it’s front legs. I tried to be very careful approaching it as I realized they are very careful with unknown presence.
11:55am – squirrels had gone to hide not just from me but due to the weather changes as it appeared that it was about to rain.
Did You know…
Squirrels are one of the most important animals for helping the spread of oak trees. They store acorns in the ground but only recover around 70 per cent of them, allowing the forgotten acorns to grow into healthy trees. Source
Squirrels wiggle their tails not because they are happy but because they are upset. Source
Squirrels are food gatherers. They spend most of their time gathering and storing food. Source
Life Lessons I’ve gathered from Squirrels
- Never place all your eggs in one basket – this is a tale as old as time. It’s one lesson that many wise investors use to prevent loss of assets.
- Planted seeds may bare fruits not just for my own interests but for others as well – sometimes our efforts, whether or not for selfish reasons, can grow into blessings for known and unknown people. Never be afraid to plant good seeds.
- Be mindful of your surroundings – its good to be observant and be aware of what happens around us.
- Stay curious – how else do you make discoveries?
So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
– Genesis 1:21
Last updated: November 13, 2021
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