Brent and I, with our two kids, used to live in a house next to the University of Kansas campus. Our neighbors were two fraternities and one sorority. Surprisingly, they were great neighbors. A loud party here and there, middle of the night naked basketball games in their parking lot, an annual egg throwing fight…it was the college version of “wildlife”. And we loved it. However, in a strange sequence of events, we found ourselves going to an Open House way way way out in the country. It felt like HOME the minute we pulled in the driveway. Next thing we knew, we were trading our city house with the folks in the country. The first night in our new house, we heard owls hoot, coyotes howl and the wind rustling the leaves. It was our new “wildlife”. And we loved it!
It has been 20 years since we traded city “wildlife” for country “wildlife”. We have seen a lot of creatures….snakes, big hairy spiders, bobcats, turkeys, deer families, bald eagles, possums, raccoons, an albino skunk, red-tailed hawks. You name it and we have seen it. This winter, we put out a new bird feeder and suet cage in the yard. It did not take long for the birdies to congregate. After a few days, a big red squirrel with a huge bushy tail arrived. At first, he sat in the tree, intently watching the birds flying in and out with seeds. He finally went out on the tree limb, carefully approaching the feeder. He crawled down the hanger and got his snack. It became his daily ritual to feast along side the birdies. The squirrel eventually figured out how to knock the feeder to the ground, eating to his heart’s content. We tried different styles of feeders… squirrel hoods, longer hangers…but that squirrel remained persistent. He always found a way to get to that food. He was relentless, tireless, clever, industrious and pretty darn patient. No matter the obstacles, he never gave up. Last week as I watched him eating with his birdie friends, I found myself SMiLiNG.
This goofy squirrel is a lot like me. Persistent. Tireless. Patient. Chubby. And never gives up. You see, HAPPYtown is my “bird feeder”. My dream is that I will make others smile and keep them “well fed” with my own brand of happiness. What makes me smile? Today~ it is a plump red squirrel.
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