Today’s WordPress prompt: Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?
Yikes. This could take awhile.
However…yesterday afternoon I had a dentist appointment, and this creature was sitting on the fence as as I pulled into the parking space:
“Well hello, Squirrel,” I say from the driver’s seat.
The squirrel does not move.
I take a picture of it with my phone.
The squirrel does not move.
The wind is kicking up, rain starts spattering…
The squirrel does not move.
It watches me as intently as I’m watching it.
I note the right paw raised, perhaps in readiness to flee…
Which is what the squirrel does, as soon as I look away to reach for my purse, for in that fraction of a second – poof! – it is gone.
So, back to the WordPress prompt: Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?
I wouldn’t have thought to compare myself to a squirrel, but since one came to me, and since I have no idea of what else to write about today in the March Slice of Life Challenge, I will consider how the squirrel and I are alike. Isn’t this a hallmark of the writerly life, using everything that comes your way?
Here’s what I found with a bit of research:
Squirrels are preparers.
Squirrels are resourceful.
Squirrels can symbolize that it’s okay to forget and move forward.
Squirrels can symbolize that life’s blessings can take root in unexpected ways.
I never expected to discover such a kinship with the squirrel.
I am also captivated by the etymology of “squirrel.” Derived from Ancient Greek, it means shadow-tailed.
Squirrels use their beautiful “shadow” tails for balance, a warm cover against the cold, a means of communication, and even in expression of emotions. They flick their tails when alarmed, happy, and frustrated.
Symbolically speaking, the squirrel’s tail can represent the past (as a “shadow” behind the squirrel, which is attached to it, and follows it).
Think on that awhile. The shadows of the past…ever with us.
Haunting? Not necessarily. As someone who likes dabbling with memoir, I find unexpected riches in writing about the past. A cache of courage. A hallowed hoard, even in the darkest places.
In those shadows, I find the first book I can remember being read to me… here I am, a toddler, sitting on my grandmother’s lap, listening to the playful rhyming lines in a book about…squirrels.
Thank you, Squirrel, for being here.
*******
with thanks to Two Writing Teachers for the March Slice of Life Story Challenge
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lit bits and pieces 
Fran, I’m always seeing the parallels whenever you write. We have not had gray squirrels here on the farm since 2008 when we built, which I thought was awfully strange – particularly since I grew up with them everywhere I lived up until here. We’ve had fox squirrels from time to time, but they come and go in pairs and stay only for a season. Since we live in the pine trees, with very few oaks or other hardwoods, that explains their absence. No acorns. Until this past weekend, when I noticed three gray squirrels in the yard. They were here for the birdseed. And now I know they may be here for the reminders to forget and move on and for the unexpected blessings. I’m glad this squirrel appeared to you!
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“I find unexpected riches in writing about the past. A cache of courage. A hallowed hoard, even in the darkest places.” Saving these squirrel-inspired lines for our memoir writing group. Not much time to read and respond this year, but so glad I woke at 4am to discover your words!
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Loved how you combine facts with symbolism and reflection. Exquisite line right here- “A cache of courage. A hallowed hoard, even in the darkest places.” The connection to the first book you remembered really brought this full circle!
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That full-circle moment at the end made me smile. Was it Squirrel Nutkin? I personally have a love-hate relationship with these furry rodents, after one lived in my house while we were in Tokyo (ugh!), I’ve had to install rocks in my container plants to keep them from gardening in them as well, and I’ve had to spend money on wild animal food to keep them out of my birdfeeder. I can’t let them starve now, can I?
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Tail as shadow. I like that. I’m thinking about a picture book about a squirrel who gets frighten by his own tail, but then it saves him from disaster when he’s about to fall from a tree branch. Now I always thought I had a monkey mind – but maybe it is a squirrely mind. Thanks for this reflection, Fran. You always get me thinking!
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Wow…I didn’t know all of this about squirrels. I always likened them to frenetic, anxiety-riddled animals by the way they move so quickly and are usually so skittish, but I now have a different idea about them. For not knowing what to write, you ended up with a great slice!
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Well, look at you taking every opportunity to write! The squirrel came to you and you responded with this lovely post.
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Such a lovely squirrel portrait and thanks for all the additional information about squirrels. I especially love the shadow tail part. I’m glad this one gave you inspiration at the right moment. In England there are lovely red squirrels, a bit smaller and even more skittish than the American ones with long tufts on their ears, very pretty to look at. Zero squirrels in Australia! Did you ever read about Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter when you were little?
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A squirrel, eh? Well, I suppose there is a bit of magic and mischief about you. A shadow tale, your “hallowed hoard,” which brings me light “even in the darkest places.”
Thank YOU, Fran, for being here. =)
As for me, the surprising animal I’ve grown to feel more of a kinship to? Crows: Inquisitive, mischievous, under-estimated…
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The crow-! I can see it, Lainie! It is among the most intelligent of birds (the corvid family). Crows use tools and even perform funerals by bringing gifts to honor dead fellow crows… how perfect a symbol for a storyteller-writer of great wit and wisdom, who sees and guides with a heart of faith! I am really hard-put to choose an animal with which I’d have the greatest kinship… the squirrel showed up, so I ran with it.
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