Blog #617: Watering the Little

I’m in Cartagena, Columbia.
I thought I just met a new friend.

BUT…

He didn’t think the same of me.
He peed on my computer.

______

I won’t keep you in suspense.

He’s a TINY red squirrel.

I was sitting outdoors in a very lush, plant and tree-rich café-like area.

I had about an hour of Wi-Fi time and was focused on sending emails.

It’s then I first saw him.

He was an entertaining little guy…and he was bouncing from table-to-table to the delight of the crowd. I sense he knew “cuteness” was his thing, and it was earning him snacks at whatever the current table had to share.

And then it was my turn.

He took a seat on top of my small, round table…sharing it with my laptop. Perhaps the laptop threw him off initially as he sat a trusting arms-length distance away.

He sat staring at me.

I sat staring at him.

He kept my gaze so long that I started thinking he was sending me some sort of profound “You’re lucky to be here!” Zen message through his unblinking squirrel eyes.

And then he broke our stare.

He blinked.

He came closer.

He sat on my keyboard.

And then he started scratching himself.

______

The crowd of café onlookers and passersbys laughed.

I was smiling, too…but still, I slightly pulled away from the table…not sure what kind of wild things this cute little guy was scratching off his back.

When he left, however…I saw that his gift wasn’t a flea.

He had peed on my keyboard.

He DID leave a Fortune Cookie-like message…squirrel style:

“Grinning man with no snacks for squirrel gives squirrel final grin at man.”

______

I wiped off my keyboard with a napkin.

I closed my laptop until I could thoroughly clean it later.

However…

Before I left the table, I was approached by three women.

They were not amused by the previous moment’s random cuteness.

The leader of the entourage brusquely said:

“Why did you let him do that? Why didn’t you chase him off?”

The odd squirrel moment grew ODDER.

I tried to make light of MY problem.

Me: “I didn’t feed him…and he was reminding me it’s good to bring a present when visiting someone’s home.”

Her: “You think that’s funny? He could have a disease!”

Me: “I’ll clean my keyboard before using it again; it’s fixable. I’ll be okay.”

And then I got dismissed with an upward flip of her hand.

And a final “Pfftt!”

I would be living no uplifting conversation in Cartagena today.

______

The LITTLE things.

Sometimes…

We let them get us good.

I certainly do.

I have a history of supersizing the LITTLE.

In the past…

My brain often pushes me to deal with fixing the little stuff immediately when the little stuff happens. Sometimes I can fix it and make it go away; other times, the little stuff plants itself in my head and then starts to grow extra big. I’m pretty good at watering the LITTLE.

BUT…

I AM getting better at NOT watering.

The tiny red squirrel peeing on my keyboard didn’t bother me an ounce.

And even after the woman’s harsh interaction, I was zero bothered.

BUT…

SHE sure was.

She made herself mad over my LITTLE.

And THAT got me thinking.

Why water the LITTLE?

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Most often…

The reader I write to most is me.

Experience has taught me, however, that I’m not alone in what I’m thinking about or wanting to act upon. In any one blog, there are likely 100 other readers who feel the same way.

I reach me.

I reach others.

Maybe I reach YOU.

And although I’m quite certain that the three women who got pissed at me and a peeing squirrel in the story above won’t read this week’s message…in case one of them DOES sound “familiar” to you …please forward this week’s blog.

😊

Message this week?

LITTLE issues.

Turned to BIG deals.

Grow into GIANT stress.

And who wants that?

Keep the LITTLE…little.

Happiness grows bigger when we do.

S.