This story was written for a Medium publication, The Challenged.
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Meet Steven, a grey squirrel who does one thing very well. His winter survival depends upon it. I won’t tell anyone about the hiding place. Besides, I don’t like black walnuts, even though they were my Dad’s favorite nut.
The unexpected wonder of having a father who was a good mentor, in Dad’s case, with everything from hitting a baseball to how to treat the janitor at work, was to be comfortable looking to other creatures as models of how to do something well.
This short tale is about two confidantes, Steve and his namesake.
He’s a persistent bugger, isn’t he? Otherwise, he’ll starve in January.
I’ll bet you are, too. And that you have a writing routine. Mine is every day, roughly from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., whether I want to or not. This morning, for example, I didn’t. There are too many other things on my mind. Worries. I’m sure you have them as well. Life throws things at us daily. I’ll wager my friend Steve has bad days as well. Another friend, Keith, loves squirrel pot pie. Fortunately, he lives on the other side of town.
Well, you might be wondering what this squirrely story has to do with Barb Dalton’s excellent prompt for today about what creative skill you wish you had but don’t.
In my case, and at my age, 76 in a few days, I worry about losing what another guide calls ‘the magic of making a start.’ Here’s the other Steven, my human guide, Steven Pressfield, from The War of Art.
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would not otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meanings and material assistance which no man would have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. Begin it now.” (from W.H. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition)
After a half-century academic career, I decided to work at this writing gig , to begin to become a writer. My primary outlet was a personal blog site and then, three years ago, Medium. This is story 704.
My marmont friend is driven by instinct.
Me? I’m honestly not sure. Perhaps, it’s something another writer whose name I can’t recall once said when asked what she loved about writing,
I love having written.
