Lost Field Notes - Advice From A Squirrel

I was sitting on a fallen log Trying to untangle my life again Pulling at questions like knots in old rope Getting nowhere with any of them The woods didn’t answer The creek didn’t care The clouds kept drifting Like I wasn’t there A squirrel ran halfway down an oak Stopped and looked me in the eye And for a moment I had the feeling That he thought I was the strange one He didn’t seem concerned about purpose Didn’t seem worried about success Wasn’t comparing his nest to another nest Wasn’t carrying yesterday on his back He buried an acorn Forgot where he put it And somehow the forest got larger He chased another squirrel Lost the argument And went right back to being a squirrel Seemed healthier than most people I know… Maybe not everything needs an answer Maybe not every silence is a hole to fill Maybe some things are meant to be carried And some things are meant to be set down The oak doesn’t hurry toward autumn The river doesn’t force its way downstream And the squirrel seemed pretty convinced That I was making all of this harder than it had to be I spend too much time standing at crossroads Long after choosing a direction Wondering if another trail Would’ve made me happier Meanwhile the rabbit is still a rabbit The wren is still a wren And somewhere beneath the leaves A thousand roots are doing their work Without ever asking for recognition The world keeps becoming itself Whether I understand it or not… The squirrel never said a word… That’s the funny part Everything I heard Was something I already knew Hidden beneath noise Obligation Regret Comparison Buried like an acorn… Waiting for the right season Maybe not everything needs an answer Maybe not every silence is a hole to fill Maybe some things are meant to be carried And some things are meant to be set down The oak doesn’t hurry toward autumn The river doesn’t force its way downstream And the squirrel seemed pretty convinced That I was making all of this harder than it had to be Drink cold water Watch clouds when you can Sit under trees longer than seems productive Call people you love Forgive yourself for being human Grow something Fix something Feed something Rest when you’re tired And if you still can’t figure life out… Find a patch of woods Sit quietly And let a squirrel remind you That the forest has survived Without your overthinking For a very long time