A blur of fur, a large fluffy tail, and a red ribbon trailing behind was moving quickly along my fence. It took me a moment to understand what I was seeing. A squirrel had pilfered one of the pine cone bird feeders we made at Solstice. Coated in peanut butter and rolled in bird seed, we hung the pine cones by ribbons from the Hawthorn tree. I thought I had placed them out of the reach of the squirrels. Obviously, I was wrong. Four days post Solstice, all six bird feeders had been snagged by squirrels.
It was comical to see the squirrel with the large pine cone stuffed in his mouth scurrying someplace safe to feast. Some people think squirrels are cute and some consider them pest-y rodents. I think they are both. Whatever you think of them, you have to admire their single-minded focus: get food, get food, get food.
Squirrels are often depicted as bundles of nervous energy, but they don’t get thrown off course or get distracted from their quest. Food is important to a squirrel, especially in winter. They are hyper-focused on their own well-being.
Humans on the other hand seem to be easily distracted from our own self-care. Most of us know the things that help maintain our well-being: rest, de-stress, hang out with our tribe, eat healthy foods, drink enough water, smile, exercise.
But sometimes it feels challenging to hold those pieces in place. This year, as I contemplate goals for 2020 (yes, sorry I am one of those people who sets goals), I thought it might be helpful to reflect on not just goals, but the things that distract me from goals.
So I am considering how and why I lose my focus, especially around self care goals. And I am thinking about the practices I can put in place to limit and head off distractions before they even begin. Certainly if squirrels can keep their well-being uppermost in their minds, we humans should be able to pull it off. 
