A Tale of Two Squirrels

This was the scene from my home office just now.

I noticed this squirrel gnawing away at a black walnut from the tree in my backyard. The squirrel was focused, furiously chewing through the tough, green rind. Just as it seemed close to its reward, the squirrel froze, its sharp little eyes darting around. I followed its gaze and saw a second squirrel darting into the yard, sniffing curiously.

Without hesitation, the first squirrel grabbed its walnut, scurried over to a pile of leaves, and frantically buried it, hiding it under layers of old, crunchy leaves. (Don't judge, I'm planning to use them as mulch.) Satisfied with its camouflage, it turned and confronted the intruder.

But the encounter took an unexpected turn. Rather than making a beeline to challenge or steal the nut, the second squirrel glanced casually at the pile of leaves and, seeming unfazed, wandered off. Not two seconds later, it found its own black walnut lying nearby and scampered off to enjoy it. It had no need to take what wasn’t its own; there was plenty to go around.

Watching this, I was struck by how easily this “squirreling away” scene challenged the very stereotype we impose on squirrels—and ourselves. We often see squirrels as symbols of scarcity, forever gathering and hiding as if everything is in limited supply. Yet, here was a moment of pure abundance: a yard full of walnuts, enough for every squirrel who happened by, at least until I clean up my yard, but I digress...

If squirrels can break free from the scarcity-driven instinct to hoard, then definitely humans can, too. Often, we cling to the idea that if we don’t grab or guard everything within reach, there won’t be enough. We might hoard our time, ideas, or resources, driven by a deep-seated fear of losing out and getting beaten.

But if we shift from this mindset and open ourselves to the idea that opportunities, resources, and joy are abundant, we could live amongst our fellow humans more easily. When we look around and realize there are enough “black walnuts” for everyone, we might find that abundance simply walks into our lives when we’re open to it.

If you've made it this far, congratulations. I wanted to share something that gave me hope today.