THE SQUIRREL HAS LEFT
A few months ago, I had the privilege and good fortune to adopt a wonderful three-year-old Yorkie/Shitzu who was left for adoption at my local pet adoption center. How anyone could drop off such a docile cutie is beyond me. Nonetheless, my family and I are sure glad that they did. We named him Mac. Mac was meant for us. He took to my family immediately, and it has been a joy having him ever since. In the weeks that followed, Mac revealed to us his love for chasing bunnies and squirrels. Man, does he love chasing bunnies and squirrels! He can hardly contain himself when he knows we are going for a walk where the squirrels usually hang out. It was one particular day that Mac spotted a squirrel and gave chase. The squirrel saw Mac coming and bolted up the wall of one of the townhouses where I was walking him. Mac did his usual barking, squealing, running back and forth, trying to climb the wall, and finally sitting and staring at the roof where the squirrel finally disappeared. He was determined to get that squirrel and somehow hoped that the squirrel would make his way back to that wall. The squirrel never did. He was long gone. However, that didn’t stop Mac from patiently staring at the spot where the squirrel was. Needless to say, after a while, I had to coax Mac to keep walking because the squirrel had left. Mac would not budge from his sitting position. I’m sure in his mind, he was convinced the squirrel was coming back, so why leave? Finally, I had to tell him that the squirrel had left and picked him up and carried him far enough that he would not be able to see the spot and want to return to it before I put him back down.
As cute as this Mac experience is, couldn’t you say that we too have those “Mac Moments” when we have to be told that the squirrel has left? Those moments when we hang on to something no longer there or coming back. Times when a relationship has ended, a business has closed, some window of opportunity has ended, your employer has let you go, those mean words you said can’t be taken back, and so on and so on. I’m sure you can come up with your own Mac Moment. Well, here’s the reality...the squirrel has left! If you continue to hope that it is returning, then you will be sorely let down. The moment has passed...time to move it along. There is no reason to stay stuck idle when there are new grounds to cover, new experiences to enjoy, and new journeys to embark on. My walks with Mac now are a lot more alert because of his tendency to chase squirrels. However, he now knows that his Papa will not allow him to hang around or sit and stare at the tree or the wall that the squirrel climbed up. He’s beginning to learn that right up the road, there is probably another opportunity to give chase to another furry-tailed thing. Mac’s new learned behavior is something we can all find applicable in our lives as well...realize the squirrel has left and keep looking for the next, new adventure.
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