Squirrels

I had squirrels in the house, NOT in the rafters, well, probably in the rafters but certainly in every room in the house. It was a nightmare because they were big and very bold, and numerous --not afraid of me. 

They were curious about me. Whenever I sat still for a few minutes, they would approach. They would come very near until I noticed them and jumped up yelling.

I chased them around the house with a broom. I bought pest spray. I hired an exterminator who left traps and said he'd be back --to no effect.

I hired tree-removal people to take down a tree that was overhanging my roof. That fixed the problem.

Now I don't have a garden or any edible plants on the property. No compost heaps, no garbage cans, no bird feeders. Works for me.

I hate squirrels.

 Don't make assumptions

Ike: "I like cream pie."

Ollie: "What kind of cream pie?"

Ike: "Cream pie with whipped cream."

Ollie: "I mean what kind of pie is that you've got, you big stupid? I like chocolate cream pie."

Ike: ((( splat! ))) "Did I say I like to eat it?"

Don't make assumptions

 The 38th Wellness

Survival, whose stylized symbol is the Phoenix. I am invincible. 

Solve dire problems and meet urgent responsibilities with PACE. From the Green Berets, it's an acronym for Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency. It's useful for procuring or achieving all things essential.

PACE is a natural way of thinking. The Green Berets give us these examples:

Primary: M4 rifle

Alternate: Grenades

Contingency: Handgun

Emergency: I use my knife to get another gun or two from the enemy

Think like a Green Beret. Use PACE. If you don’t have that many options, be cautious and try to develop more. If you are reduced to emergency options, seek to open others and recover. Make a plan, and a plan B, C, and D. And develop them.

The person I admire is the Survivor

 The 37th Wellness

Moderation, whose stylized symbol is the Taijitu (the yin/yang symbol). I am balanced.

Avoid the extreme in all things. Instead, seek balance, as far toward the middle-of-the-road as possible. 

Avoid thinking in terms of absolutes. For example, we view the rape of an infant as unthinkably bad, but we fail to appreciate that it is good for the rapist. 

However, had the rapist taken the middle road he might have accepted an object in place of the infant.  

Seek moderation, the mean, the average when you can in all things.

The person I admire is Lau Tzu, the founder of Taoism

 The 36th Wellness 

Good Fortune, whose stylized symbol is the Four-Leaf Clover. I am lucky.

Karma. Providence. Do we get what we deserve in life? Does it matter? Isn't it enough to deserve it?  The person I admire is the Dalai Lama

** I Will clean my plate for luck. **

 The 35th Wellness, 

Laughter, whose stylized symbol is the Comedy Mask. I am amused.

Laughter truly is the best medicine. When you're feeling low bring to mind a favorite funny story or distract yourself with something pleasant like a good book or a game of solitaire. 

Take a moment to look in the mirror and smile so as not to take yourself too seriously.

The person I admire is Red Skelton

** There is a story of Albert Schweitzer, in Darkest Africa, chasing the dog who was chasing the chicken around the yard. "No, no, my friend! Remember you are a vegetarian!" **

 The Purpose of Life

Because Evolution in the end favors the fittest, overall progress ensues.

There are those who believe we are wonderful evolving organisms going who knows where --maybe to Nietzsche's superman, or maybe godlike creatures (the purpose of life).

Or there are those who say we are robots --just carriers of these improvements --no better than the proverbial camel nodding at two savory herbs equidistant from his nose. He's stuck, a broken machine, can't make up his mind, he dies in that position (no purpose in his life).