Squirrely Bargain

A SQUIRRELY BARGAIN

“Nature’s lessons are timeless, teaching us patience, resilience,

and the beauty of embracing change.”

-Gabriel Cruz

A noble gesture with the highest of intentions was about to shake up both my inner and outer safe sanctuaries. It all began on a beautiful, easy-going summer morning, a stark contrast to the busy life I had been leading. The realization dawned that there were fewer days left before the sun's warmth would begin cooling down, leaving little time to take advantage of what it offered. I would do my best to make the most of this beautiful sunny morning.

While glancing towards the balcony door, it dawned on me that, except for watering the plants, I had been avoiding my meditative retreat area for quite some time. It had been a challenging year after the passing of a dear loved one, leaving me with a heavy heart and seemingly little time to stop and enjoy what was surrounding me. Keeping busy was the mode I chose to block out my sadness at the time.

After a quick peek out the window, it became apparent that this would be one of those last sun-hot days, and perhaps it was time for a short break from what I considered crucial household tasks. My spirits rose, realizing I could enjoy some late-morning sunshine before the dreaded noonday heat hit the balcony. There was only one place to go for such a well-deserved break. I would finally head out to what I like to call my balcony Zen Garden.

I had worked hard over the years with the intention of making this space a sanctuary where I could meditate while enjoying the fantastic sights and sounds of the river and park area from my balcony. It was situated well above the treetops, offering a bird's-eye view of the eastern, southern, and western city regions, which provided a splendid sight of incredible sunrises and breathtaking sunsets. What better way to appreciate all that surrounds me, no matter one’s circumstances. It is a great location to be in, even while grieving.

Although high up on the 11th floor of the building, my little balcony retreat was also an exceptional place to appreciate the occasional visit from a few of nature's tiny creatures, both flying and crawling, that stopped by to check out my plants. As it turns out, at certain times of the year, I am not the only one who enjoys sought-after peace during the early mornings before the city awakens.

High on the list of visitors was a small colourful bird that dropped by to rest on the balcony rails and sing a heartfelt tune to me. Well…, to be truthful, it may not be precisely for my benefit since these visits usually arrive in early Spring. There is a strong possibility it may be a mating call. Nonetheless, it warms my heart and soul, and at this stage of life, I will take what I can, especially since finding the time to sit to appreciate this exceptional space has been scarce lately.

A perfect moment to take a break during the kind of day that a bit of shade was the place to be for all creatures, great and small, including humans. Having allowed myself a limited time, with a cool beverage in hand, I headed towards the balcony, only to find a different situation begging my attention. Who would believe what my eyes were witnessing so high up from the ground? To my utter surprise, standing by the door, I found myself gazing at a small, scrawny-looking black squirrel!

I watched in wonder at this tiny creature, taking no notice of me. It was too busy munching away at the interlocking foam mats that had been so delicately placed on my balcony. My mind could hardly grasp why or even how this creature could be up this high, especially with no trees in sight close to the building. Nor, for my life, could I figure out why it felt the need to be chewing away at the mats in the first place. I was left in a state of utter bewilderment for a moment or two.

Admittedly, observing such a sight caught me entirely off guard, and in my mind's eye, it completely ruined the serenity of my retreat time. My first instinct was to shoo it away. However, before doing so, I figured I needed to work out my frustration by giving it a piece of my mind. The situation was not something I could easily brush off, and I fully intended to take it to the next level. I stood at the balcony door and began my lecture, albeit in a calm, firm and unyielding voice that, I figured, spoke volumes to the circumstances: “What in the world do you think you are doing?”

The squirrel looked up for a mere second or two, seemingly undisturbed by my voice or presence, and promptly returned to destroying my mats! A few untold descriptive words came tumbling out of my mouth that soon morphed into a long, drawn-out lecture, if only to let this small creature know that the material was unsuitable for any nest building and…, if eating the material was the intention, a stomachache would surely result. There was no holding back from my monumental displeasure.

Feeling the need to get close and personal, at least close enough to present my argument for what I was witnessing, and just in case the creature did not hear me clearly, I stepped out onto the balcony to continue my tirade. What happened next could only be observed as a unique connection between human willpower and animal nature. Now, you would think that our difference in size alone should have created a sense of caution for such a little one, but for some peculiar reason, this tiny animal chose to stay to hear me out!

Realizing that folks may think my intention to communicate with such a creature was acting foolishly crossed my mind; however, having had success with hornets (a whole other story), I figured, what the heck? If the squirrel was brave enough to stay, I might as well continue. This was my chance to establish a unique bond with a wild creature.

Since we are all connected to the life energies of this world, with such a noble endeavour, there is no reason not to take it a step further. Of course, with such an intention, I was thoroughly convinced that a meeting of minds could occur. Before proceeding any further, I sat on the balcony chair close to the door to pick up where I had left off. I immediately began presenting my concerns about the situation to the squirrel.

To my amazement, in the blink of an eye, that squirrel hopped onto the sunbed just opposite me and stretched itself across the cushion, indicating that I had its full attention. There was no fear or hesitation in this little creature’s demeanour as it kept a steady gaze toward my ongoing speech. It was unlike any naturally cautious squirrel I had ever encountered. Like scolding a child, I peacefully but firmly informed the squirrel that continuing this destructive behaviour would not do. There was no benefit in such distasteful conduct. It would only lead to a very angry human if this type of harmful behaviour continued.

Now, I am unsure which of us was more fascinated by this magical ‘happening’ moment. I can only think of it as nothing less than unfathomable by the kind of integral attention I received from this squirrel. Why the unwavering gaze alone, as if entirely engrossed in my words, demonstrated a significant interest in what I had to say. An assumption had to be made that attentive listening was at its peak!

My boggled mind soared with self-adulation, thinking my lecture was working. What else could I do but present a favourable trade-off for the destruction that had taken place with the mats? At the time, the damage was minimal, and if the destruction stopped, I offered to provide a few nuts as a gesture of goodwill. The offer was a win-win outcome. How could this little one not resist such a bargain? Especially since everyone knows that nuts would be more nutritious and, beyond a doubt, more suitable for a squirrel’s digestive system.

As a matter of course, I explained the details in greater depth, several times in fact, before coming to a complete stop in my lecture. During the entire time that little creature stayed quietly stretched out on the sunbed as if absorbing my every word. Timing was essential, and I had to be sure the sweet little thing fully understood my generous offer. I sat there deliberately visualizing the dear one sitting quietly, eating a variety of nuts that I had stored in my cupboard.

With nothing else to add, once the verbal offer was completed, it was my turn to patiently wait for an indication of acceptance, and to my complete surprise, the squirrel jumped off the lounger and sat no more than a ruler’s length before me, looking up as if fully understanding my proposal. I could only surmise that it now patiently awaited evidence of my end of the bargain. Nothing else could be said as there was no other option but to accept this reaction as an agreement, given the little one’s demeanour. The deal was indeed sealed!

I quietly got up from my perch and retreated indoors, only to return with a small bowl containing various seeds and nuts. The dear thing was still sitting in the same place, tolerantly waiting for my return. As soon as I placed the bowl beside it, the darling little thing began consuming its prize without hesitation and, notably, I might add, very greedily. I smiled inwardly, pleased with myself, given all my good intentions and bargaining powers, and truly believed authentic communication had occurred. The animal-human bargain had been successful, especially from my end. After all, a bargain was a bargain, and I was sure this little creature would follow through and leave once it had finished eating.

I watched in light-hearted glee for a few moments before retreating into the apartment. To my way of thinking, there was no doubt that I had witnessed and experienced one of those rarest of energy connections as an exchange between human life and nature, linking them together in real time. How could I believe otherwise? The entire event fits nicely with a strong connection possibility. And, of course, there was that hornet event long ago, but I digress. Heart-filled with pleasure at what had just taken place, I left my little friend busy consuming the spoils of the agreement and returned to my household chores.

After a time, I peeked to see if such a wise and agreeable creature was still there, and to my amazement, the little one was stretched out on the mat, just under the shaded part of the sunbed, taking a nap, of all things! I must admit that I had never seen a squirrel napping, and for a split second, I wondered if I'd killed it! Could it have met its demise with the nuts coming so soon after eating parts of the foam mat? I had visions of a tiny stomach exploding with such a combination.

Wouldn’t you know it, just as I was about to open the screen door to check, I saw his ear twitch and with the lift of its little head, the opening of an eye, letting me know not to worry. It was merely having a nap away from the hot sun that now covered a significant part of the balcony. I was relieved to find the squirrel deep in full relaxation mode, thinking all was well in my little corner of the world. I silently retreated, returning to my busyness with a head and heart filled with wonder and awe at the magic of this day.

A Bargain Turning Point

Noble intentions were about to meet unforeseen consequences. After about half an hour, I decided to check to see if the sweet little creature was up for a further meditative human connection. But…, to my utter astonishment, I stepped onto a balcony in disarray! I could hardly believe my eyes as my mind began reeling with discontent.

The little rascal had made a complete mess by digging up and devouring a flower bulb from a small pot, and the beast… had the nerve to return to his previous task of further shredding my mat! I was not amused as before my eyes lay a situation that was nothing more than a deal-breaker of immense proportions.

My thoughts turned to questions without answers. My disenchantment over the supposed commitment of intention with this squirrel's end of the bargain was now lost in total disarray. Could it be that it was not satisfied with my end of the bargain? Perhaps there was discontent with the number of nuts provided or the possibility of a few outdated ones in the bowl. I must admit that stale nuts were a strong possibility at the time.

It could be said that too little thought went into this bargain of mine, but too late was the cry! I quickly stepped out onto the balcony and immediately returned to my earlier tirade, only this time… I am sure a much higher level of annoyance could be heard in my voice. I was not amused!

Surprised, sensing that something was amiss, the guilty perpetrator stopped its destructive activities and tried to scamper away. At first, it tried to hide underneath the sunbed after hearing, seeing, and feeling such deep, displeasing energy being emitted from me. A manic avoidance dance soon began as I moved the sunbed, and the bushy-tailed rat quickly ran back and forth across the balcony a few times before scampering away down the brick of the building.

On further inspection, I noticed that not only had the flower bulb been consumed (the only plant that could have been brought inside for the winter), but also some lovely flower buds from a plant sitting on the small side table by the chair. Each of those plants had brought such pleasure on my meditation occasions, leaving a fleeting thought that the enjoyment of my space would now be diminished beyond repair.

To add to my disillusion, I would need to clean up the bits of the chewed-up, thoroughly ruined part of the interlocking mat. And…, not to be forgotten, a great deal of dirt from having dug the bulb up from its pot. To add to the visual chaos, an unfathomable amount of flower petals from my table plant were strewn everywhere. What a mess it turned out to be!

My previous moments of serenity and surreal mystical thinking were crushed. The charmed energy spell and the honourable bargain I had made in good faith had been broken. A reminder to us all that squirrels just cannot be trusted. I decided to take pictures of the mess. Unfortunately, having been so caught up in the beguiling quality of the event before this mess, I did not manage to capture a photo of the squirrel during its charming moments. A picture showing how attentive he was, or even one of him napping, would have been nice to add to this story, if only to demonstrate the truthfulness of it all. But for now, it must remain a tale of a broken bargain with a cunning squirrel on my balcony.

Although on the plus side, the cleanup saved me some time preparing the balcony for winter, so I shouldn't complain quite so much. About a week later, I saw a squirrel tail flash by my door. I managed to get a quick photo before he disappeared, no doubt testing the emotional waters of this human. No harm was done this time around, although I noticed a small, chewed portion of the remaining foam mat, which served as a reminder of what could have been.

Life had settled, and I eventually moved past the absurdity of the incident and the humility that came with a deal gone bad. After all, experiences with nature often have a peculiar way of teaching a lesson. Discovering the real lesson behind this one may take some time.

One lovely fall afternoon, something outside on my balcony caught my attention. It had been a few weeks since my squirrel friend's unique visit. From the corner of my eye, I saw a black blur moving quickly past the window. My squirrely friend was back! Only this time, it was busy digging in my plant pots. I did not mind so much, as the time to remove the slowly dying plants was approaching, knowing they would be replaced in late spring of the following year.

I had since learned that a few lower apartment dwellers were feeding birds and squirrels, leaving me to finally understand that many unannounced visits to my little garden had taken place long enough for peanuts to be buried in every pot!

I gather his hunger got the best of him, returning to the scene of the crime, knowing this human was an easy mark, and it was safe to retrieve his little hoard. Fortunately, this time around, my camera was at hand. I managed to get a photo of the little rascal in the act.

From my point of view, the moral of this experience is to be wary of agreements accepted by charming little creatures who have no qualms about breaking any bargains made by humans. But there's more to this story, more lessons to be learned. It will be interesting to see what happens next year in my little Zen Garden retreat and to gain new insights from noble intentions and encounters.