My Sea Turtle Moment
Posted by Dr. Cason on Monday, June 16th, 2008
by artolog
Today while diving for the first time I looked up and had an “Aha” moment. There off to my right was a gentle large sea turtle resting on the reef. He turned and looked and slowly made his way around us. I sat in near tears.
Turtles are my thing. They have been for years, way before I started to see turtles everywhere. When we were in medical school my husband and I traveled across country. We were just dating then and had set off to discover the country and ourselves. Studying medicine was difficult and rigorous and we were trying to weather the storm buckling down and barreling through. That road trip changed us. We sought comfort and understanding in the slow easy path from shore to shore. Long days were spent reading books and looking out the window at the large open expanse. About the same time I was reading about totem animals and looking for mine. I had read that some are the sign of when we were born or what we do and then again some just find us.
That summer the turtle found me. Its representation of perseverance rang true. I knew that the slow and steady route of the turtle was how I made my way to medical school and how I would make it through. I relaxed that summer and made it through schooling just fine. Currently turtles are sprinkled throughout my home. They are familiar and comforting. But until today I had never seen a turtle wild in its natural environment.
Well now I have and it was even better than I thought it would be. He was so big and yet so fluid I was mesmerized. Watching him reminded me of the inherent beauty and grace in life. It reminded me of the importance of taking things it easy. One step at a time. And persevering.
I can already predict what my next step in photography will be. Until then I give many thanks to flickr and the creative commons license. What about you all? Do you have a special animal that speaks to you? -
Filed in My Favorite Photos,My Life,Self Improvement | 5 responses so far
AxeCityon 17 Jun 2008 at 8:34 am 1I used to have a turtle when I was a child. I love pets and animals so much.
What I really wonder about is the great communication I feel with my cat. Cats are so smart and make me amazed with a lot of their actions.
By the way, great photo you put in your article. Hope I can take quality photos like that someday!
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tiffon 17 Jun 2008 at 9:45 am 2That was a beautiful post.
I love butterflies. They mean alot to me.
Barbara Swaffordon 17 Jun 2008 at 3:49 pm 3Hi Dr. Cason,
I love the turtle analogy to life. I often feel that way about blogging. I started slow, and I steadily take one day at a time. No sense getting stressed out about it.
I love birds, Years ago I read the Johnathan Livingston Seagull story and it always stuck with me. Birds appears so free and graceful. Now I have a bird feeder outside my office window. I enjoy watching them grab some food and fill their tummies.
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Dr. Casonon 17 Jun 2008 at 8:41 pm 4AxeCity-
I’ve always wondered about the connection people have with their cats. I’m allergic so I’ve never gotten that close but my kids- oh man they’d have one in an instant!
Tiff-
Have you seen the Butterfly sanctuary in Kuranda? Mesmerizing! I’ll have to post some pics.
Barbara-
I love birds as well. I remember Jonathon Livingston Seagull and Illusions. Have you read it?
Trishon 18 Jun 2008 at 4:00 pm 5Wish I could gather the courage to dive… there is a whole unexplored world out there underwater! Way to go!!
Mine has always been the wolf. There is something about their eyes… and their style of communication and need for team work that speaks to me.
Birds are the worlds news wire… they share information about all the worlds events. I think they are the reason that the animals who tune in know about impending disaster. Think Tsunami and all the animals that made it to high ground.
Richard Bach … wow. I have discovered that if you go back and reread his JLS and Illusions books at different times of your life they speak completely differently to you. Or at least they have for me.
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