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The Squirrels of Resistance
Creativity is waiting for you to show up. Will you?
Whenever I fill our bird feeder, I bide my time and wait for the first squirrel to appear so I can run him off. It’s an inevitable part of the process this vigilance. Even if I toss extra seed on the ground for the squirrels, at least one squirrel squirrels his way up to the feeder and feasts on what is not meant for him.
It’s frustrating, especially when what I’m looking forward to is enjoying the presence of the birds.
Eventually, the squirrel will tire of being run off and begrudgingly take what’s his on the ground. Immediately, the birds return, their colors, twitterings, and flitting about the reward for my efforts.
This seemingly simple scene is incredibly similar to what life is like when we decide to create, isn’t it? For me, it tends to be when I show up to write, but it can be in response to whatever creative project you are pursuing.
Like that one stubborn squirrel, frustrations, doubts, and fears show up seeking what isn’t intended for them, those valuable seeds of creativity intended for you. And, if you’ve ever had a bird feeder, you know it isn’t just one squirrel; that first squirrel sets off a loud distracting chatter through the nearby trees drawing another, and another, and another.
