As far back as I can remember, I have thought of squirrels simply as rodents with bushy tails with little relevance to my life except for appearing in one of my all-time favorite cartoons, Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Figure 1: The tremendous duo, Rocky and Bullwinkle, have a special place in my childhood memories.
Upon entering college, I acknowledged squirrels as a part of my experience here at UT, constantly crossing my path and scaring me half to death as they creep around in the shrubbery. With time and understanding I have come to admire squirrels for the little things that make them unique and intelligent creatures. These small mammals encompass 365 different species and seven families with the three biggest families being the ground, flying, and tree squirrels. Just like squirrels, my family is considerably large. I am the oldest of nine in my immediate family and have over fifty first cousins. With so many members in the squirrel family and in my own, you can find several differences within the two when it comes to our diets, color, height and weight, and the place called home to each member apart of the family. When squirrels reach adulthood, they prefer to live alone and mark and defend their territory meticulously. I, like squirrels, have elected to live alone as an adult and dislike intrusion by others in my area as well. Logically, I believe this is due to our immensely large families and not having breathing room in our youth. With age, my animal spirit and I have chosen to live on our own away from the constant noise once called home.
In general, squirrels are considered the cleanest rodents, specifically with their teeth which they maintain at a healthy length by chewing on branches. Borderline obsessive compulsiveness when it comes to my teeth and cleanliness over all, I appreciate that squirrels understand the importance of this trait. Having frustrated several people with my constant hygiene obsession, I have finally found a creature I can relate to. To maintain healthy activity, squirrels need about a pound of food per week of acorns and other nuts as well as anything that humans offer to them.
Figure 2: Squirrels enjoying a slice of pizza, not normally apart of their diet.
Constantly snacking on anything that will help me stay energized for my daily routine, I enjoy food as much as squirrels choosing fruits and nuts over pieces of meat. Squirrels communicate through a series of chirps and tail movements. The use of nonverbal communication has also been extremely influential in my life helping me connect with people I have a hard time approaching and using these cues to get my message across clearly. Interestingly, squirrels and I have similar reactions to danger and especially when dealing with automobiles. In situations where squirrels sense danger, they freeze up and then frantically run to the closest object they can climb. In times of danger, I tense up and have no clue what to do but head towards a close object which might shield me. When it comes to cars, squirrels and I both view them as enemies. Having a life span of six years, squirrels lives are constantly stunted by vehicles that run them over. While luckily, my life has not been cut short by an automobile I have had several close calls after being involved in a car accident every year for the past six years. My connection to squirrels was meant to be and is not just an accident; our characteristics are so similar it is a little frightening.
I am different yet oddly similar to the characteristics of squirrels and after researching the medicine they hold as totem animals I have come to find a deeper connection.
Figure 3: A wooden planter of three squirrels represents the qualities of this amazing creature.
As a totem animal, squirrels embody three traits that can be seen as both positive and negative. As the picture above shows, even when in wooden form squirrels appear to be constantly active. As they scurry throughout the day, they give the impression of having an endless supply of energy that I can only dream of obtaining after two energy drinks. It is in a squirrel’s nature to maintain lively and productive. This trait is one I have as well; I unintentionally keep busy even when I am tired something inside me just yells for me to toil away on whatever project I can get my hands on. When I reflect on the pitfalls of this quality I realize that at times my actions and that of a squirrel’s are rushed and at times even wrong. Squirrels are a reminder that one must slow down, relax, and just enjoy whatever it is they might be doing. Learning this from my squirrel friend, has led me to believe that time off is necessary not just for rest, but to feel refreshed every time a new task is started and avoid any confusion. Relaxing allows one to enjoy life and see it as more than just a task. Always preparing for the future, squirrels consistently gather resources. They scamper around looking for food which they hide in the ground and save for a later date. After a childhood in which some of my most basic needs were not always met, I have learned to be constantly prepared- just in case. Squirrels are extraverted creatures; they love interaction and constantly want to play. However, their chatter can be considered the cause of disruption for the peacefulness in the world. This interruption symbolizes the chaos of life. In trying to keep busy I find myself surrounded by clutter and noise and rarely appreciating the simplicity and beauty of the world. While squirrels do stand for something negative, they are also a reminder that at times we need to stop, slow down, and speak clearly to get the message across within all the mess. I have slowly learned to focus in on what is important and avoid the clutter in order to relate my message and clearly understand the messages in life. Squirrels embody what it means to trust others; this is portrayed by their ability to accept food from humans without fear.
Figure 4: A squirrel reaching up to get food from a man's mouth.
A squirrel’s ability to trust others fascinates me. The ability for such tiny creatures to be able to approach giants and accept food without any suspicion of possible danger is truly admirable. The optimistic perspective that squirrels take towards life and those in it inspires me to do the same. In a world where so many horrible things happen daily it is hard to see the good in people, but when looking at squirrels it gives me hope that maybe there are more good people out there than I expect. Squirrels are simple creatures relating perfectly to the straightforward traits that they portray as totem animals and to me as well.
After several days of searching for my totem animal, my journey is now complete and I am satisfied with my answer. The information I have gathered about the characteristics of squirrels has made me realize how amazing these creatures truly are and I could not ask for a better totem animal or one that represents me more accurately. Having first seen no connection to this creature, I have now come to appreciate all the greatness the squirrel portrays. My association to a creature this amazing is one of pure luck, I can only hope to truly embody what the totem represents in the future, but for now I will do my best to use my connections to the animal to make good decisions in life.
Word Count: 1,461
Bibliography
"Cycle of Power Animal Totems." Sayahda. http://www.sayahda.com/cyc4.html (accessed February 6, 2010).
"History." Squirrel Place. http://www.squirrels.org/history.html (accessed February 6, 2010).
"Squirrel." Animal Totem. http://linsdomain.com/totems/pages/squirrel.htm (accessed February 6, 2010).
Figure 1: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/books/blog/rocky%20and%20bullwinkle.jpg
Figure 2: http://gadgetsteria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/pizza-squirrels.jpg
Figure 3: http://www.onlinediscountmart.com/bk-24367.html
Figure 4: http://www.fadingad.com/blog/manhattan/squirrel_washington_sq_pk.jpg
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