Oh squirrels of the world,

You truly are my favorite creatures. I think our love affair began when I was about 10 years old. My best friends and I were playing "pretend" in the front yard, and we came across a baby one of you sleeping. We thought the baby was dead, but upon further inspection and careful watching, we quickly found that something must have happened to his mother; therefore, he was helpless because squirrels are dependent on their mothers for two to three months since they are blind for that long. My best friend's mother knew all about these sorts of things and helped us bring him home and nurse him with a bottle and warm towel. He was so cute. I wanted to keep him forever. A pet squirrel would be amazing, and honestly, how great would squirrels be for cuddling? But, don't worry squirrels, we respect you as animals, and we knew the proper thing to do was send him to a shelter. I still think about this baby and hope he is very happy.

One of my favorite parts about going into other states is to see you all in your various colors. You are such a diverse species. There are more than 200 different species of squirrels, wow! No one thinks about this when they think about squirrels. You often get overlooked by many, but not by me. I see you for the truly incredible animal you are. You have adapted so effortlessly to society, almost better than humans. There has been no major catastrophe in the squirrel community as our world has changed; you all have continued on. You cleverly navigate cities, you're everywhere, but also, no one really hates you. Usually animals are either everywhere and hated or faraway, but not you all. I think that's exceptional.

I really like trees, too. Trees are so good for our environment and are absolutely beautiful. And you all and trees are like two peas in a pod. Not only do you love to hangout in trees, but you also plant trees all the time. Whenever you don't recover a nut, you plant a tree. Just try to imagine how many trees in the world exist simply because of you all. That inspires me to get a bag of seeds and go out and be a squirrel of my own, planting seeds here, there and everywhere. It's so simple but so effective. So thanks for the extra oxygen.

Everything about you guys makes me happy. From your fluffiness, your clever tricks, your city kid skills, your cute, little way of eating, your way of protecting your babies to your green thumb, you have got to be one of the most wonderful things in existence. Squirrels, you truly are my spirit animal, and in my book, you will never be under-appreciated.