Welcome back to another blog post, Bears! This week, I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about something a little more light-hearted and humorous. Any Missouri State student or faculty member has seen them—when you leave a building or turn a corner, they are there, digging in the trash, hopping through grass, or climbing trees. I’m talking about the campus squirrels, of course! I love the squirrels on campus, so I thought I would provide you with a couple of personal stories from my encounters with them to give you a little brain break from your midterm studies. Here are two stories of mine from when I’ve run into a squirrel on campus.  

A Bad Day 

On a warm spring day last semester, I was walking back to my car parked in Bear Park South after getting out of a club meeting. I don’t remember much about that day, but I do remember being in a bad mood. I was tired, and the person sitting behind me in my club meeting had been kicking my chair, which happens to be one of my bigger pet peeves. I was ready to go home, and I was walking pretty fast. I was making my way under the trees behind Plaster Student Union when, all of a sudden, I heard something rummaging around in a nearby trashcan ahead of me. Before I could walk past it, a squirrel jumped out onto the sidewalk right in front of my feet and held a full-size burrito in its paws. Right in front of me, it opened its mouth and took a very large bite, but I don’t think that the squirrel liked it very much because it dropped the burrito on the ground and went right back into the trashcan. I thought the whole thing was pretty funny, and I also learned that squirrels probably don’t like burritos. The incident made me smile, and the rest of my walk back to my car was pleasant.  

An Unexpected Encounter 

A few weeks ago, I was once again walking back to my car in the parking garage. This time, though, it was much later in the evening, because I was coming back from a reading hosted by the English department. I remember being happy because they hosted a poet that I had been reading in my poetry class, and it was so cool to hear him read some of my favorite poems of his. I was walking directly under a tree in front of McDonald Arena when a huge bundle of leaves attached to a branch hit me on the top of my head, fell onto my left shoulder, and then onto the ground. It was big enough that I turned around and looked up into the tree, only to find a mischievous looking squirrel sitting at the end of the branch I was under where the bundle must have fallen, looking right at me. I still don’t exactly know what that squirrel’s intentions were at that moment, but I can’t help but think that it was at least somewhat responsible for the leaves falling on my head. Either way, I found the encounter funny, and I laughed about it to myself for the rest of my way back home. 

Takeaways 

After reading this post, you might be wondering why, of all things, I decided to write about squirrels. Well, as the title implies, the squirrel population on campus just happens to be one of the many little things about this campus that I love. I hope that my anecdotes, while silly, serve as a reminder to you to enjoy the little things in your life that make you happy. Sometimes, if you’re having a bad day like I was in my first story, a small thing like a squirrel eating a burrito can turn your whole day around, and it’s important to cherish those things. However, if you are feeling overwhelmed and you find that an encounter with a campus squirrel does not entirely lift your spirits, come and see us in the CAST office! We have amazing Success Coaches and Peer Mentors that want to help you succeed, and we are now offering drop-in hours on Tuesdays from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. I wish you luck on your midterms, and hope that you enjoy your Fall Break!  

~Hallie 

(Bio: I am a junior out-of-state student studying Creative Writing with a minor in Philosophy.)