Insquirrelational Adages # 6

“It takes a squirrel to raise a child.”

This phrase reminds me of my own childhood, which is when my squirrel obsession began. It may be hard for you to believe, but when I was younger I was very imaginative and one day I thought my imagination had taken over my coherent reality. You see, I was playing in the backyard, fully engaged in my own made up game when I noticed a very confident squirrel standing next to me. At first, when I saw him out of the corner of my eye I didn’t think much about it, but when I turned around and he didn’t run off in fear, I knew there was something special about this squirrel. Sammy would come to be known as the squirrel who adopted me. He would later teach me so much, educating me about squirrel ways,… but first we needed a proper introduction. I kneeled down, grabbed a partially broken pecan shell that had fallen from a nearby tree. I pulled out a piece of pecan and handed it to Sammy. Without a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed the nut and then settled next to me so I could pet him. That was the day my fascination with squirrels began. Later I would realize that it does indeed take a squirrel to raise a child. I was fortunate to have had that squirrel because now I’m a well adjusted, perfectly sane, and emotionally stable adult.