By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
Aniwodihi (Painttown)
I’m a huge nerd and a fan of puns so I love the Cherokee word for squirrel – saloli. One of my favorite dad jokes is, “How does a squirrel cross the road? Saloli”.
Now, we know squirrels don’t really move like that, but it’s funny.
But, seriously, we could all learn a lot from that pun. In this modern life, we all move too quickly. We move from meeting to meeting, email to email, screen to screen, and rarely take time to enjoy life. Even when we are “off” of work, many times we’re thinking about work or even checking correspondence “to keep caught up”.
Laozi, sometimes referred to as Lau Tzu, 5th century Chinese philosopher, said, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
That’s great advice. Now, I’m not saying we need to dawdle or waste time. I’m just saying that sometimes our modern selves get too overwhelmed and too overworked that we’re not at our best when we do work. We need that rest. We need that time, that time to take our time.
The One Feather office is in the Ginger Lynn Welch Complex. So, when I have to cover something at the Tribal Council House I will just walk over. It’s not a long walk per se, but it serves a few purposes. I get to stretch my legs a little bit, and I get to clear my mind on the way over and the way back. Rather than drive over in a hurry, I take the 10-minute walk and get to see the Oconaluftee River, birds, trees, clouds, and squirrels – all of which remind me to slow my mind.
Socrates, 5th century Greek philosopher, summed up this thought the best when he said, “Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”
It’s ok to be busy from time-to-time, and it’s ok to work hard. But, it is of the utmost importance to take time to take time slowly.
So, the next time you see a squirrel remember the lesson in its name and move a little more saloli.
