OPENING OURSELVES TO THE NEW

What if finding joy in unexpected places became commonplace?

On my epic road trip across America, I would often take breaks, returning home for a while.

***

On one of these breaks, Jim and  I see a turtle crossing the street one evening.
Not wanting to leave the turtle exposed to the dangers of traffic, Jim picks him up.
His arms and legs wave wildly. He is strong and tenacious. I am squeamish.
We take him home and let him explore our walled backyard.

In the morning, we’re awakened from a deep sleep by a thumping at our door.
It’s a turtle home invasion.
Our cat stays clear. Like the cat, I warily watch this alien animal, his hard shell thunking as he clambers around the room.

I haven’t met a mammal yet that I haven’t come to love. But reptiles are a different breed. At some level, they scare me.

Jim puts the turtle in my lap. He stays on my belly, looking up. He spooks me, until I touch the top of his head, lightly.
He does not retract into his shell. Rather, he slowly closes his eyes, as if he likes the stroking.

Still, I don’t know what to do with him. I don’t even know if he’s healthy.
His shell is flaking and his colors dull.

 

 I decide to take him in for a “well baby” exam. The doctor will be able to help.

We learn that “he” is a “she.” She has a parasite and a respiratory infection. The parasite can create kidney infections and be lethal if untreated or treated too late. The doctor believes we found the problem in time.

At home, we need to keep her in a small tub of water, no plants or gravel inside – just water never warmer than 82 degrees.

We put her in our bathtub and keep a night-light on so I can check on her through the night.

Jim suggests we call her “Mattie” after he teases me, “Feeling a little Maturtle, are we?”

***

Mattie is swimming now for the first time. Her shell looks smoother and her colors restored. She has a log to bask on, guppies to chase and sometimes catch. I pick up earthworms for her to eat.

She seems calmer when I hold her now, and I stroke her head. Maybe she knows I am calmer now, too, and I will do all I can to protect her.

I now know how. For today, at least.

When I feed Mattie her first earthworm, she takes it from my fingers and swallows it whole. She slips under the water again and begins to swim away. I call her name. “Mattie, would you like another worm?” She turns, swims back toward me, pokes her head out of the water as if to say “Yes” and I feed her again. I am completely convinced that I am communicating with this turtle. A magic moment from a creature that – I cannot believe it now – seemed so alien less than three weeks ago.

Soon Mattie will need to go to her “forever home.” She will live in a pond in the backyard of a biologist who houses only female turtles: males, she tells us, live in a constant state of sexual agitation and are a nuisance to the females and aggressive to any other males.

The pond will clearly be superior to life in our bathtub.

My heart feels heavy saying good-bye to Mattie. But I need to travel again.

 Yet she has also left these gifts:

• Remember: joy can be found in such unexpected places
• Discover: If we move beyond our fear of the unfamiliar, we can find adventure: maybe even love
• Explore: When we are faced with a new situation that both frightens and excites us, can we remember another experience in life that felt both frightening and exciting? Recall your love of the experience, the memories, and the perspective gained. Allow the success of this past event to give you strength to face the unfamiliar again; embrace possibility in a new light.

Jillian Robinson is a Certified High Performance Coach whose passion is to help people live their best selves with the consistentfeelings of full engagement, joy and confidence. She loves to interview and coach changemakers and parents committed to positively impact young peoples’ lives. Her vision is that, someday, personal development will be taught as commonly as math and science. When you participate in her programs, you become part of that positive change.