I love the energy of the turtle. The real turtle, but also the cartoon turtle that lives in my head – he slowly glides through the water, smiling at everyone he sees. He gets to where he needs to go at his own pace.

I have a picture of this turtle on my vision board. As a human it’s not easy to be turtle-ish because our world moves crazy fast. The amount of getting in and out of the car I had to do yesterday was mind boggling. The amount of items on my to-do list left me speechless. The tiredness that I felt last night was unsettling.

This is the way of our world, but it is not the way of me. It literally doesn’t fit my body, it makes me sick. I like to keep myself closer to the ground, not unlike the turtle, so I can find my balance; flying from one thing to the next leaves me feeling dizzy.

I make lots of choices. While some things can’t be changed, many things can. I say no as much as yes, and I don’t have to buy into the idea that there isn’t enough time. There is plenty of time; the question is how I use the time.

My favorite part of my cartoon turtle is the noticing; the moving slow and smiling at people along the way. I have had enough crashes in life to realize that the moving-slow-and-smiling moments are life’s truth. We are all on an endless search for something that can easily be found through every day moments and wonderful people.

I have lived the majority of my life at a rapid pace, so I will probably spend the majority of my 40’s and beyond learning how to change these habits.

I allow the turtle to be a muse. I admire his Buddha-like understanding and daily pace. He may eventually cross a finish line, and he may even win the race, but he doesn’t need it, it’s not his original intention. It’s just an added gift to his daily experience.