By Mary Layton
The Way of the Turtle
In these hot summer months, as I’m rushing from place to place in 3 digit temperature it is really cool to be reminded of a remarkable species on this planet that doesn’t rush at all, has all the time in the world: The Turtle. What’s with the turtle? Well, a friend of mine was reading a book by Sy Montgomery titled “Of Time and Turtles” published in 2023. He shared some pretty amazing stuff with us.
Turtles have survived for millions of years – just by being slow. Maybe not a bad idea to have more interest in these odd-looking creatures. They do look ancient, reminiscent of the dinosaurs, with their hard shell backs and crinkled necks that stretch out far when they are lunging at their food. The big Snapping Turtle can live to be 150 years old! Turtles hibernate just like bears, taking time out regularly. Apparently they seem to make good pets that will look you straight in the eye whenever you show interest in them. You may think that they can’t get around to well given their short little legs, but they are very tenacious and will get around any obstacle once their put their mind to it. Another friend of mine saw a video on facebook that showed a turtle in shallow water surrounded by other turtles. He or she had flipped upside down. In the next moment one of the turtles using his head flipped that turtle right side up again! What a great friend!
As I am getting older I’m warming up to the idea of slowing down, I now take my time to look at a tree for a long time or admire the formation of a cloud or enjoy the color of a sunset from beginning to end. Moving slowly time expands, awareness increases. The quality of life is so much better when we don’t rush. We make fewer mistakes too. We become good listeners and better friends and everything works out better. Cheers to the Turtle!
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