Don’t You Do It!

Don’t you do it!

You’ve gotta love squirrels, or not. Actually, I do. In fact, I’ve always wished that they would let you pick them up and hold them because, obviously they are just so darn cute. My opinion, of course! 

Well last week I witnessed the almost demise of one of these not so bright adorable rodents. 

I was leaving the gym ready to take a left onto a neighborhood street when I spied the little guy. He was dancing around the sidewalk trying to get up the nerve to cross the road. 

Now what I knew, and apparently he did not, was that there was traffic freely flowing on both sides of the street. As I watched him, I found myself trying to will his return to the large tree behind him using only my mind. 

“No, little guy!”

“Don’t you do it!”

“Go back to your tree!!!!!”

I’m not sure why I thought this approach had any chance of working, but a girl can always hope. 

Predictably, he didn’t listen to a word I said, and made a quick dash out into the road.  A road by the way, that at that moment was looking a lot like the Daytona 500.

I watched as he made his way under an oncoming car, waiting to see his dead little body lying pitifully in the street after the car passed.

But the squirrel gods were with him that day, and he bounced off the tire, and somehow fell back toward the sidewalk all the while avoiding the adjacent tire in his mad dash to safety. 

How was it possible? That squirrel was going to live to see another day!

He ran lickity-split back up the tree, all the while I’m sure, with his heart racing in his little squirrel chest. 

I wish I could be assured that he learned his lesson, but alas I fear not. 

Unfortunately, this must be nature’s way of keeping the squirrel population in check. 😢