Animal Lovers Beware!

As you may have noticed, this week saw a dramatic increase in temperature. I hope you guys enjoyed what will probably be the last warm weather for a while. Like most other people, I like the warm weather too, so I spent a lot of time outdoors this week. I ran, sat, ate, and did many of my daily activities outdoors, giving me more exposure to the wonderful people that surround us. I have some positive things to talk about today and then a not-so-positive, cautionary tale I would like to share with you all.

This week, I felt as though everyone was in a better mood from the weather. I saw the swim team practicing outdoors, tons of runners, and people just enjoying the warm air. I observed a few unusual things as well. Such as the croquet club. Did you know we even had a croquet club? Well, we do, and I watched as they practiced on the HUB lawn. Overall, I was mildly intrigued and would rate croquet-watching a 6/10 on a scale of enjoyment. But, still, the good "vibes" in the air felt meditative during a very stressful week. 

Alright. I'll be honest, I tired to lighten the mood until now, but I must share this story which shook me to the core. Having lost interest in croquet (sorry if I offend any croquet fans out there), I began searching for other interesting happenings. Strangely, my friend, Tony, ran into me. We had a little chat before he headed off to his next class. As he rode his bike away, I happened to look at him. He was maybe 50-100ft away from me when I saw a tiny object run across the sidewalk right in front of him. It was a chipmunk. The poor guy didn't know what hit him. One moment he was burrowing in the ground, the next a madman was bearing down on him like a steamroller. Now, let it be known I am an animal-lover in every sense of the word (pugs are my favorite, but that's beside the point). 

After witnessing the accident, I ran over to my friend, effectively making the switch from a people-watcher to a people-interactor. But, to quell my fears and in keeping the emotions of my readers in mind, I had to ask my friend if he had ended the existence of the poor, little creature. Thankfully, my friend assured me the chipmunk ran away, although possibly injured. 

So, my friends, let this be a lesson to you to be cognizant of the little creatures around you. Don't let haste or other distractions allow you to become complacent. If I find out that anyone runs over a little creature again, I'm going to be so sad I might cry. 

In the interest of not ending on a bad note, I hope you all had a great week and enjoyed the warm weather as much as the club croquet team and the swimmers and runners. Enjoy it while it lasts, though, because soon it's hibernation season. Break out the comfort food and hot chocolate!