Climb Higher - You"ll See Farther

Climb Higher - You"ll See Farther
photo by Tom Uhlman www.tomuphoto.com

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Gratitude Walk and the Turtle


This morning I went on a walk. This is my daily "gratitude walk." I highly recommend this - for mental and physical fitness.

While I raced along the few miles, I gave thanks for all the beautiful things that I noticed - the freshly cut grass, the honeysuckle and daisies, the blue sky, friendly contractors (who never seem to be working! ) and the three different friends who honked and hollered out my name, reminding me that there are worse things than living in a small town.

And then...as I was cruising along, thinking about all I have to do today, a turtle nearly tripped me. Yes, he was almost crossing the paved walking path. I picked him up and he tucked his head and legs into his shell faster than you could say, "slow and steady." I did not know that turtles make a vacuuming sound when they do that. I must have stressed him.

I stared at his beauty and contemplated bringing him home. He could be my token reminder to slow down. I wondered if he belonged to the orthodontist, from whose multiple acres he was emerging. I considered a phone call:

"Hey Doc? I wondered if I could have this turtle in exchange for the four grand I just dropped on Jordan's already perfect teeth..." That could be fair.

But alas, I carefully placed my beautiful frightened buddy back on the huge lawn, and thought about his pace. Slow and steady, slow and steady.

Today, I take my lesson from the turtle. I will win the race. I will stay peaceful and diligent, and if I get stressed, I'll vacuum!

How about you?

Did you take a gratitude walk today? If so, or even if not...let's hear some things for which you are thankful! You can post right here.

Yours,

Gina

1 comment:

Gina Parris said...

Cool blog Penny. I also would love to be fluent in Spanish and spend lots of time building in Latin countries. Bless you!