Chonce, the Squirrel

Chonce, the Squirrel

This is the story of a squirrel.  I’ll call him Chonce (chon-see).  The squirrel, like other adaptable animals, has learned to coexist with mankind almost as well as cats and dogs.  Some of us have been known to keep them as pets.  Of course, unlike cats and dogs, squirrels are much more independent.  They spend their days gathering goods (nuts, etc.) for survival.  Busy finding resources and making decisions on their existence, they scurry about from woods to yard to garden.   As the squirrel scuttles around from day to day managing their affairs, they can experience busy traffic while crossing roads.  So, imagine the picture of a squirrel dashing across the street through the windshield of an oncoming car.

While visiting a college campus yesterday, I walked upon a squirrel that, obviously, had been killed, flattened by a vehicle's very large tire.   The hair of its body, including the varied color of the stripe on its back, could be seen in perfect order.  It was as if the scene was an aerial view of a squirrel, lying on its belly in the street.  

The memory of a squirrel dancing back and forth came to mind.  They try to decide the right way to go to avoid collision with an oncoming automobile, for a move in the wrong direction can be ultimately fatal.  It is sad, but we can learn something from Chonce.  The name Chonce was given him because of the (cho)ices he makes and the cha(nce)s he takes.

What can we learn from this invaluable, unfortunate creature?

“Should you find yourself standing in the middle of the road, choose wisely your next step!”