The Squirrel Who Changed My Mornings – A Gentle Story About Presence, Routine, and Small Wonders
It started with rustling. Every morning, around 6:45, I’d sit on my back porch with a mug of tea, watching the sun struggle through the fog. It was my quiet time, before the emails, the traffic, the noise. But that particular morning, something shifted.
A small grey squirrel darted across the fence, paused on the branch of the jacaranda tree, and stared at me like , was the odd one.
He didn’t run off. He just sat there, tail twitching, eyes sharp, watching. Judging, maybe. Then he disappeared into the branches.
Our Unspoken Agreement
The next morning, he came again. Same time. Same spot. I didn’t speak to him, wasn’t sure if that would be odd or endearing, but I acknowledged him with a nod. He blinked. Scratched his side. Carried on.
Day after day, we fell into a rhythm. I sipped tea. He foraged, leapt, and occasionally dropped half eaten seed pods onto my lawn. I named him Kamau, for no reason other than it suited him. Over time, I noticed something: I stopped checking my phone during those mornings. Stopped rushing. I became more aware of the breeze, the bird calls, the slow stretch of morning light.
The World in Small Movements
Kamau didn’t do anything extraordinary. He didn’t perform tricks or take food from my hand. But in watching him, I noticed how thoroughly he did everything. He explored every branch like it was brand new. He sniffed each nut with total concentration. When he cleaned his tiny face, it was as serious as a ritual. There was no “multitasking” in his world, only attention.
That hit me harder than I expected. I had been moving through life like a blur half-listening, half-working, half-living. But this squirrel? He was all in, all the time. And somehow, his presence invited me to do the same.
What He Taught Me
One rainy morning, Kamau didn’t show up. I waited longer than usual, scanning the branches. Maybe he’d found a better tree. Or maybe, like all teachers, he knew when to leave. But the lesson stayed: pay attention.
Not just to squirrels or sunrises, but to everything. The way steam curls from a mug. The texture of leaves underfoot. The people who speak to you in passing.
Kamau reminded me that life isn’t found in the big, dramatic moments. It’s in the small ones. The ones we often miss, unless we slow down enough to notice.
Nadeera Nilupamali
Nadeera Nilupamali
. 67 Stories
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