Buddha has been quoted to say “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present.” In some aspects these may seem like a petty saying, but in others they can be very powerful words. Life does have a balance to it within a certain space and time and you have to take the good with the bad. Instead of getting frustrated, mad, or sad when life throws you a wacky screwball, take a step back and focus on the present and you might see how extra ordinary or extraordinary life can be. That is when life’s complex puzzle will solve itself.
I found this to be true, in the most absurd way, one day standing in the middle of my strawberry and lima bean garden near twilight infuriated. With a sling shot in my back pocket and a few quarter sized rocks in hand, I was in search for the infiltrator that had been pillaging my berries. There was a drought during the season and my garden was already suffering from dehydration and I didn’t have any berries to spare. I crossed the yard and up a small hill covered in autumn leaves, leading to a pumpkin patch. That’s when the interloper darted across my past, an American red squirrel with its beady black eyes, bushy tail, and fuzzy white underbelly. I caught him red handed with berry in tight grasp. With the quick snap of a wrist I had sent a stone flying. The shot whizzed past, breaking the silence, smashing a hole into a pumpkin gourd. I ran after the rodent when my feet slipped out from underneath me causing me to fall backwards on my ass, knocking the breath out of me.
Blood started rushing to my face as I lay on my back watching the leaves cascade down creating a kaleidoscope of auburn, olive, and gold. The sky broke through and I just remain still on the ground listening to an old spoon wind chime dance in the wind as big gray cumulus clouds float due east overhead. The smell of campfire mixed with animal excrement permeated in the air. I knew right then what I had slipped in. I was now on a seek and destroy mission for this elusive marmot. Not only have I caught it red handed with berry juice dripping from its mouth but I now had fecal matter smeared on my shoes and on my back.
I stood up and rushed over to the little green and orange gardening shed to get provisions to set a trap. Time was of the essence. The moon will soon be out and being able to spot this beast would become nearly impossible without infrared spectacles. I rummaged through the piles of old dusty junk for my pump action bb gun, flashlight, nylon net, and a few firecrackers to scare the hell out of the little shit.
My game plan was once I spotted this diabolical squirrel is that I would toss a few firecrackers around his perimeter centralizing his movement and stunning him with fear. At that point I would toss the net over him tangling him up and giving me enough time to shoot him in the head with a high powered bb flying strait towards his temple. This squirrel wasn’t any normal squirrel it had intellect like no other squirrel I have met in many years.
I walk back towards my garden ready for action while the dark cumulus clouds moved in faster overhead casting a dark gloom over an already dismal day. I listened intensely for any kind of moment or sound of a twig snap or the brush shuffle that would give away the squirrels position. That’s when I heard the loud hoot of a barn owl throwing me off guard. At that second the interloper shifted position, and I had him in my sights. The rodent was running towards the pumpkin gourd ,I smashed open , with a fresh berry in grasp. I lit and tossed the fire crackers in a circle around the pumpkin gourd. With a loud crack and bang lightning ripped through the air smashing an old willow tree in the far corner of the yard setting it on fire. Following the combustion of the tree the fire crackers went off tossing pumpkin guts and dirt into the air. The squirrel stood staring at me with a rabid look of intimidation. I had the drop on him and was lined up for the shot.
As I was about to go for the kill rain began to pour down from the sky causing me to lose focus of the task at hand. The split second it would have taken me to pull the trigger was lost and the squirrel had made its getaway. I threw my hands in the air and started to slowly walk back to the house in defeat. As I stood on my back porch, dripping wet with shit smeared all over my back and side, I watched as the squirrel ran towards the willow tree. I laughed at the thought of the tree being his home and then a sorrow swept over me. That’s when with a loud screech the barn owl had swooped down from its perch snatching the squirrel from the ground and flew off into the stormy night, leaving behind a half-eaten strawberry.
The next morning I walked onto my back porch to smoke a cigarette and see the aftermath of the night before. The sky was bright without a cloud in the sky. Birds chirped their morning songs and the wind blew gently sending the smells of wet grass and the sounds of wind chimes mixing in the air. The willow tree still stood scorched from the lightning storm and the pumpkin patch lay in ruins littered with exploded gourds. There was no sign of any squirrel rummaging around the garden. The strawberries and lima beans stood strong and quenched from the much needed rain.
I felt a sense of peace wash over me. Things have worked themselves out in the end. Although I was left with a mess of things to pick up afterward, I realized if I would have just been patient and thought with a clear head instead of anger. Things could have been different. What was done was done with no aspect of any future, and maybe just maybe if I would have took a step back and grasped all the things that were happening around me. The squirrel and I could have lived in peace with enough strawberries to feed both of us, but as for now I have a garden to tend to.
Funny thing after I had this dream and wrote this story, that summer I helped my mother plant a garden. Shes doesn't have much of a green thumb, so I try to help her out as much as I can. Plus I like working outside and planting her gardens. Shes funny when she weeds the beds. She sings all these crazy songs she makes up and laughs while digging in the mud. It makes me happy to see her smile.
Anyways a week or two after I wrote this story slugs had got to my pumpkin patch and killed them all off. I was able to save one baby watermelon that had some how found its way over to the pumpkins. I was pissed I went inside grabbed an old Folgers coffee can and a salt shaker and went on a CHARLIE BROWN melt down. I must have liquefied over 100 slugs that day and they were still all over the place. After I was done I wanted so bad to throw the slug juice on somebody, but I didn't. I controlled my self and emptied the can out near the swamp behind our house. I figured that's were they came from so may be other slugs my get the warning and stay the fuck away. They haven't been back sense. They must have got my warning. :)
