Blog #524: My BEST Squirrel Talk…Ever.

In water-thirsty California…
automatic lawn sprinklers are hoggish.

So mine are turned OFF.

But…

In order to keep some resemblance of green grass, I give a little lawn love by lightly watering with a handheld hose.

Today was water day.

I was watering my thirsty lawn when my attention was grabbed by two crazy-playing squirrels. They were going bonkers chasing each other up and down the awesome 30-year-old Redwood I’m lucky to have in my front yard.

They noticed me.
They stopped.

They watched me watching them.

Of course…

I did the neighborly, polite thing and told them out loud that I loved watching them play and that I was glad we shared the same love for an amazing tree.

Talking to squirrels?

Yep.

If we don’t make life fun, it gets hard for life to find its fun.
______

So…

I’m chatting it up with my squirrel audience. They’re sitting on a lower branch staring at me…and I’m giving the best squirrel motivational talk I’ve ever given.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, I heard an unidentified voice.

“Hi. How can I help you?”

Huh?

I looked around.
Nobody was there.

It was just me…and my now two extra-motivated squirrel friends.

“That’s weird,” I thought.

(Having seen a lot of Disney, I looked at the squirrels suspiciously.)
______

Before I continue the rest of this little story…

It’s important to share that I use my cell phone for two things: talking and texting. Rarely do I even check email on my phone because when I’m away from my computer, I don’t need my nose stuck in another screen all day, too.

I’ve downloaded two apps on my phone.

1. Email.
2. A favorite grocery store.

That’s it.
______

Back to the story of the “Mysterious Voice Encounter“…

I continued watering the lawn…but I soon heard it again.

“Hi. How can I help you?”

The mystifying voice seemed to be coming from my pants’ pocket.
I reached inside and pulled my phone out.
______

Evidently…

I had activated an unwanted Google voice talking app…and my pocket fabric or a brush with my hand or rub of the hose had given my now-talking phone a life of its own.

A third time I heard:

“Hi. How can I help you?”

I laughed at naive me.
______

As I continued to water the lawn (my squirrel audience now gone)…I thought about the talking phone…and its off-the-wall question that had seemingly come straight from the Universe.

I went with the moment.

I answered the “Universe’s” provocative question.

“Wanna’ know how you can help me?”

I started rattling off possibilities.

I’ll take an order for 2,000 books.
100,000 new subscribers to my blog…please.
Set up a 1-on-1 lunch with Oprah.
Help every homeless dog and cat to be rescued.
May every kid in the world find someone who inspires him or her.
Make all the bad people in the world…good.
Tell me how I can make my biggest difference.

My unrehearsed wish list was really, really long.

But hey…

If the “Universe” was really asking, “How can I help?“…
I’m not gonna’ be shy about giving answers.
______

I finished watering the lawn…but my moment’s inspiration wasn’t done.

I went inside the house and typed out my “Answers.” I typed my original ones…added new ones…and then was inspired to ask myself a giant question:

“What could I really do to move each answer forward?”
______

I’m asked a lot…

“Are you always this inspired?”
“How do you stay inspired?

I answer every time…

“I work every day on finding inspiration.”
“In everything I see, hear and do…I look for it.”

Like today.

In talking to squirrels.
And in phones talking to me.

INSPIRATION.

May YOU look for yours every day.

Because I promise…

The more you look for it…the more you’ll BE it.