Life Lessons From a Dead Squirrel

One Squirrel Was Harmed Before the Writing of This Story

It was a clear and sunny day when the Great Squirrel Accident happened. It wasn’t a dreary Pittsburgh kind of day where the sky is grey and overcast. I definitely saw the squirrel standing on the edge of the sidewalk. We looked at each other, and I had a sick feeling that he was going to make a run for the other side of the street.

I glanced at the speedometer of my car to make sure I wasn’t speeding. In a split second, the squirrel decided to go for it and ran right in front of my car. I hit the brakes but there wasn’t enough time to stop and let him cross the road. Instead, I heard “thunk thunk”. Hoping I ran over a tree branch or a pine code, I looked in the rearview mirror. There was a dead squirrel on the road. He didn’t even make it halfway across before he was squashed flatter than a pancake.

So, what was learned from this experience?

#1. Trust. That squirrel trusted me to use my superior human brain to calculate the speed and distance needed for him to get to the other side of the road, and use that information to control my car. I wonder how many other cars lulled the squirrel into this false sense of security by not running his furry ass over before I did.