My whole life, I have wanted to live in a place beautiful enough to have a squirrel want to live there too. I have lived in beautiful places; Northwell, South Africa, where I grew up, was very beautiful, in a windswept, rugged kind of way. And Northland, in New Zealand, was green and fertile, youthful and exuberant. But I have always had a picture in my mind where a big, 100-year-old oak tree shades my afternoon tea or an enormous fig tree houses my children’s tree house. Look at Louise’s fig tree! And then there is this tree from Anne , which I know isn’t on her lawn, but is kind of what I want on my lawn!
A while back, I decided to let go of all my longings. Not that I stopped longing for good things, just that I just stopped longing so deeply it hurt. I was in a place in my soul of great disequilibrium where I focused so strongly on the few little things that weren’t perfect in my life that it completely over-shadowed all the beautiful things that are so abundant around me. I realised that I couldn’t be happy with what I had, this precious moment of now, if I was constantly wanting for something different… And, oh the happiness I have found! What I missed before!
And, would you believe, a couple of months back, guess who came to live in our little tree in the garden…
His name is Timone and he visits our fence each day, usually around lunch time. T, K and I watch him with delight. We made and put out pine-cone feeders for the birds yesterday and Timone thinks they are for him… he particularly likes the sunflower seeds.
So, the moral of the story… if you let go of all you don’t have and focus, instead, on all the joys you do, perhaps, just perhaps, some of those things you wanted so badly before will find their way to you after all.
9 Responses
I have a special love for squirrels, too.
I’d love to share our giant pine tree with one. Or three.
I couldn’t agree with you more …
Really cute picture of the squirrel!
What a cute squirrel!
I don’t mind you using the fig tree photo.
Its such a beautiful old tree.:)
Our squirrel was called FatBoy…for many years FatBoy knew to begin visiting us right after Halloween and then he grew Fat by eating our pumpkin, which we couldn’t of course remove, no matter the state of it’s disintegration, until warmer weather. Then I moved to Seattle and missed FatBoy dreadfully. But now, I discovered this Halloween a new visitor, I haven’t named him yet, but it sure soothed my longing for home.
We have a squirrel family living in our oak tree. We love them too! They are always so busy, just like the crazy chipmunks around our house!
so glad i was led to your blog to read such a refreshing post!!
loved it, just what i needed to hear. JUST what i needed to hear.
THANK YOU!
What an inspiring post.
I am glad you got your squirrel, and glad you love our fig tree too.
Seriously…your blog is one of my very favorites. Always something to smile at or think about when I come here. :)
Thank you for all the wonderful comments. Lovely to know you were here.