I left my house on a morning walk in search of the subtle shifts of autumn and instead found troops of squirrels In the scurrying panic of hoarding, bushy tails whipping around tree trunks, claws clicking along fence tops; they dashed along the serpentine paths that marked the routes to their secret stashes, pausing every so often to stare out at the world beyond them, tiny hands clutched to their chest, whiskers testing the wind for signs of change. I felt more awake today than I’ve felt in a long time, and had a productive day of learning and applying followed by some long-overdue couch time.