Retirement, Simple Living, and Me-- Warning: There Are Squirrels Involved

Anna and Nana (me) doing a little "leaf crunching." ( 20009)

This fall season has been extremely weird as well as unsettling. By weird, I'm talking about the weather and by unsettling, I think you know what I mean.

Even though the temperature has not been "fall" like, the leaves are turning and falling in great numbers.  The pups and I have enjoyed many morning walks that involve one of my favorite activities "leaf crunching" and one of  their favorite activities, "squirrel stalking."

Regarding the unsettling part, probably the biggest concern is the fear of the unknown. What will happen to the economy? What will happen to the environment? What will happen with funding for quality early childhood education programs? Who will win Dancing With the Stars?  Okay, not so much that one, but you can tell I've been a little anxious and frankly, a little scared lately.

I had a friend whose granddaughter was having trouble learning to ride her bike. She stated "I'm scared and I can't do it, Mimi."  My friend replied, " Well, sometimes you just have to do it scared." If anyone knows about doing things "scared" it's a little guy I know named Scaredy Squirrel. ( You thought it was going to be me, didn't you?)

I became acquainted with Scaredy Squirrel,  in a book written and illustrated by Melanie Watt. I was with my Child Development class on a field trip to the public library. While they completed their "to do" list, I engaged in one of my other favorite activities, reading! The more I read this book the more I could relate to the main character himself.

Scaredy Squirrel would rather stay in his safe and familiar tree rather than venture out into the unknown. For you see, the unknown can be a scary place.  But just in case something drastic should happen and he is forced to leave his tree he has prepared an emergency kit. Included in his kit, among other useful items, were antibacterial soap and a can of sardines. The first you can figure out, the second one is obviously to distract sharks.

The part that resonated the most for me was his list for what to do in case of an emergency. First on the list, panic and second run.  He also noted that, bottom line, if all else fails, "playing dead is always a good option."  I have to admit, the last one hadn't occurred to me before.

Well, one day, the inevitable happens and Scaredy Squirrel is forced from his tree. In total panic he jumps, prepared for the worse, but an incredible thing happens. He begins to glide, because you see Scaredy Squirrel is actually a flying squirrel! He is excited and overjoyed at his new self awareness.

All this excitement inspires him to make drastic changes in his life and he includes "jump into the unknown" to his daily schedule which up until now, has included: wake up, eat a nut, look at view, and go to sleep.

My point? If Scaredy Squirrel can do it, so can I!

I have been vigorously cleaning clutter from my house, yard, and garage for the past week. It seemed to me to be a more useful coping mechanism than running around in a panic or playing dead. I am finally feeling like I can breathe again (almost). I discovered through this process that clearing out stuff helped me clear out my head and realize that I am the same person I have always been and I will continue to be that person in the future.

So I may still be scared of the unknown and what the future holds but I'm going to give jumping into it a try and see what happens. If all else fails, I'm keeping my options open to panic, run, and/or play dead.

That's it for now.
Check back later!