I talk to animals. There, I said it. I don’t expect them to speak back to me, but I do speak to them, and I do remember meeting this guy above and what I said:

“Dude, what are you doing so far from water all held up inside your shell as if you’re hiding from something or scared?”

I looked around and there was no obvious threats to be seen.  He could have been resting. He was indeed far from water, in an open space, and I did wonder if I should intervene and lend assistance, something I rarely do when encountering wildlife unless I see immediate threat to life and even then, I think hard before I act.

It’s funny the things you think about, well, the things I think about when encountering animals. I think of people. This turtle, he reminded me of a lot of people I know.

The turtle has the skills to survive in the wild. He has the tools and instinct to exist and flourish, as do some of these people I know.

However, the people I’m thinking about, they choose to ‘turtle-up’, to hide within themselves and not take advantage of all of the talents and gifts they were given in this life for fear of failure.

I’ll bet we all know someone who fits this category, and sometimes its even ourselves, as in the case with me as well.

Sometimes you just have to stick your head out, take a chance, and go for it, which is what this turtle did after listening to what I had to say to him, he just stuck his head out and walked away.

I didn’t take it personally, but I was happy he was on the move and heading in the general direction of a pond which I am certain, he probably knew the exact location the entire time.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, Lao Tzu

Get the head and arms out and get going!