A Small Disturbance (NJ1)


A Small Disturbance (NJ1)

On a crisp weekday morning, I decided to head to the gym before beginning my typical eight-hour shift at work. It was the last week of summer before school started, and I wanted to soak up all the free time I could get my hands on.

It was a perfect morning to engage in a quick workout. The sky shone with a baby blue color with not a single cloud in the sky. The grass of my front lawn had been freshly mowed, and I could smell the sweet aroma as soon as I opened my front door. I walked toward my car and noticed a few squirrels scurrying around outside. I began to admire the playfulness of these creatures.

After arriving at the gym, I jumped out of my car and the scorching Texas air hit my face like a slap on the cheek. I began walking towards the gym when I noticed something small and fury lying flat on the road. As I looked closer, I realized it was one of the many squirrels that I see roaming around campus at TCU. Except this squirrel was not a normal squirrel. It had been run over time and time again from the many cars that pass through the street on a daily basis. The squirrel resembled that of a pancake, its body lying lifeless on the road. One of its black and obsolete eyes pointed toward the sky, the other faced the gray pavement. I visually pictured the squirrels I saw earlier in the day and considered how quickly life can change. In the sheer blink of an eye, a squirrel’s life was drastically altered.

My curious eyes wandered around the campus, trying to see if anyone else noticed the body of this poor squirrel. I tried several times to walk away, but each time my eyes focused back on the compelling scene. The fur from the squirrel had been torn off like a pair of distressed jeans. The animal reeked of a potent odor resembling a combination of awful chemicals, specifically methane. After analyzing the squirrel for nearly five minutes, I decided it was time to continue about my day.

This was the first time in my life that I stopped to consider the implications that our actions as humans have on the environment. The squirrel would not have met its inevitable demise if not for the careless driving of a Fort Worth resident, or perhaps the stupidity of the creature led to its own death. Either way, the squirrel was gone. I looked back and considered the varying images of squirrels that I had seen throughout the day. At one point, these creatures were jittery and adorable, and minutes later the animal turned into deceased wildlife. 

The contrasting experiences I had with squirrels during that day allowed me to appreciate the unpredictable nature of the world we live in. A world in which every day should be taken as its own. I learned that although bad events happen, time continues on. There will always be a morning sunrise, an evening sunset, and each day will bring about new adventures and experiences to learn from. 

Comments

  1. williams.dan76September 18, 2019 at 10:34 AM

    Thanks for posting. Really a thoughtful, interesting description. I like the transition you made from the dead squirrel to human and environment interactions.

    ReplyDelete

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