It's all connected
This morning, as I sat outside for my daily nature meditation I was delighted to be joined by one of our resident box turtles. This is a wild turtle that happens to call our yard home, and it's always such a treat to see her being her wild self. The only way to even know she was there was to hear the slight rustling in the dew-covered plants. Then I saw her head pop out from under some lily leaves.
She was feasting on tiny snails for breakfast! She would collect them with her tongue and crunch away. It took me a moment to figure out what she was eating - I could hear the crunching and at first I wondered, "Is she eating some kind of seed?" I kept watching and finally figured it out. Click on the link below to watch a short video of her gathering her breakfast - if you turn up the volume you can hear the tiny crunches!
Once I wrote a blog post, "Have you Fed your Snail?" It was about taking time in nature to notice the tiniest things. Today's could be called "Has your snail fed you?" at least from the turtle's point of view. Turtles and snails, they come to me regularly to remind me of what's important.
It's all connected. The turtle and snails and I are sharing more than the yard. We are breathing the same air, some of which has blown from thousands of miles away. We're relying on the trees and grass around us to put oxygen back into that air. In countless other ways we are all reliant on each other.
I think about that so much, especially as we humans have such an appetite for so many of Earth's resources. I've been paying attention for a long time, and consciously trying to make decisions that lighten my load on the planet, but there is so much to consider. Even loading this little turtle video requires it now to be stored (forever?) on some server that belongs to YouTube, sucking up electricity - I've read that it won't be long before 20 percent of the world's electricity could be used for data retention. That's a lot.
This month is plastic-free July. Today at the dentist (no cavities, yay!) I took the toothbrush and toothpaste samples and gave back the little plastic pencil case that they came in so they can refill it with samples for someone else. It's the smallest thing; there's so much more to do.
It's all connected. I just read about a Fox who walked thousands of miles, from Norway to Canada. I want her to have the chance to live a good life and raise her own family. I want that for all the living beings who share the planet.
We have to figure out how to live in a world that is changing quickly. We have to figure out how to live in accordance with our values. I find that often when clients come to me most distressed, it's because their daily lives have grown distant from what they most believe in.
The same thing can happen to me, and I need to return over and over to what is most aligned. I'm simplifying my summer and setting intentions for walking lots of places, using the library to get my books (I was lucky enough to get a copy of City of Girls - just sitting there on the new release shelf - how serendipitous), feasting on much local food (especially peaches and blueberries), and sitting in nature a lot, whether it's in the front yard with the turtle and snails, or camping out under the stars for multiple nights.
On butterflies, manure and being real
This summer we were on a day hike in the Smoky Mountains. We came across a beautiful group of yellow tiger swallowtail butterflies. As we got closer, we could see why they were so tightly gathered. They were all feeding off of the salts and minerals in a big pile of horse manure. These beautiful creatures were getting sustenance from something we’d rather not see, and certainly not step in. The butterflies were benefiting from the poop. It was important. It wasn’t just gross or wasteful or ugly. It had a purpose. It’s interesting. We know not to judge a book by its cover, we have been taught not to assume, we’ve been encouraged to be ourselves, follow our passions, stay true to our dreams, that we’re allowed to get messy in the process. I don’t think there’s one of us who hasn’t heard this advice.
And this is also what I see. I see images everywhere that have been “cleaned up” to make people look more conventionally beautiful. I see people afraid to let others know what they really like or care about, afraid to share their creations, afraid to share their real selves. Afraid to share the messiness.
And who might blame them? We live in a snarky world, full of people (many anonymous) ready to make a snippy comment or cutting remark. Ready to judge, judge, judge and find us coming up short.
Here’s the thing – we can’t make that potential for judgment go away. We can simply stay in our business, living our lives. And when we’re honest about ourselves and take the unnecessary judgment off ourselves (and others), we’re leading the way for others to do the same. Then we can enjoy simply being alive.
Here’s a recent photo I took and shared:
Those beautiful night-blooming flowers by the outdoor tub? They are also popular with the giant roaches (lovingly called palmetto bugs) who also live outside. The tub has duct tape over the overflow hole and a rust-stained bottom.
All of that doesn’t discount the beauty of the flowers, just like the horse manure doesn’t discount the beauty of the butterflies.
Oh, also. There’s dust on the twinkly Christmas lights in our bathroom. There are crumbs in our car. Sometimes I don’t do the dishes. Sometimes we eat popcorn for dinner.
That doesn’t discount the pretty meals I make with farmers’ market tomatoes or the laughter in the kitchen or the love in our house.
I think we all need to give ourselves a little bit of a break. And be ourselves.
You know these picture on this website? The photos are waay natural. They are me. When you meet me, that’s what I look like. I’m wearing hardly any makeup, which is normal for me (unless it’s WIGS and WIGS night or Mardi Gras!) I have wrinkles around my eyes. My hair is not really “done” – it never is! My teeth are not blindingly white, or particularly straight.
That doesn’t discount the light in my eyes, or the love I have of working with people to help them find their right life.
Sometimes I feel like more butterfly, less manure, and sometimes the other way around, but either way, it’s the being real that makes me who I truly am.
What can you put in these blanks? I ______________________, but that doesn’t discount _________________________ Email me your answers or put them in the comments!
Turtle steps
The way to get anything done is a step at a time. One little step. Martha Beck calls them turtle steps. I don't know about you, but I've been known to act like a rabbit. Sprint like heck, and then get so pooped out that I abandon everything and nap for a week. When I act like a turtle and take small steps on a regular basis, I get a lot more accomplished and it's amazing to look back and see what I completed! It's just like hiking the Appalachian Trail - it's five million steps and over 2000 miles-- but you can't think that way - you have to just keep walking a little every day.
Turtles keep coming to find me to remind me to take turtle steps. And the most recent ones I've seen have also been submerged in muddy water - I wonder what that means? Don't be afraid to get a little dirty? Don't be afraid of murkiness? Go to the spa?
About a week ago I was on a wordless walk with a dear friend and I took her to my favorite tree. This was the tree where I saw my turtle about two months prior, but I really didn't expect to see her, as she had been sitting on the forest floor a good 30 feet from the tree last time. Well, apparently my favorite tree might also be hers as well! We arrived at the base of the tree, and there she was, completely submerged in a mossy puddle made by the tree roots. We sat for quite a while and she finally moved, sticking her neck out.
I felt very honored to see this wild turtle again - I know they have small home ranges, but it was still mighty special.
Today I worked diligently, but with free time built in too (I've learned that my mind will go into complete and utter rebellion and give up on any system if there isn't some fun built into every day - like a quick dip in the neighborhood pool) and this evening, who did we see in our garden but our own turtle who lives in the yard? We rarely see her and there she was, drinking the air conditioning condensation water in our tiny horsetail-planted wetland.
I count these sightings as auspicious messages from the universe. All is well. And I'm enjoying life, one step at a time, and savoring as I go.