To get to the other side...

Actual photo of Speedy* (*not his actual name)

This morning I was about (or exactly) 2.85 miles into my run when I came across a surprising sight. There in the gutter was a turtle...and this turtle appeared to be attempting to cross the road. Problem was...it a was a busy road. Little guy would stick his head out slowly, and wait...and after a few cars would pass and there was a lull in the traffic, he'd start to stick his legs out...and just as his toes (turtles do have them-I'm pretty sure) would touch the ground, a car would come whipping by and he'd pull all appendages back inside. And then it would all start over.

I watched for the first few minutes intrigued. Then I watched for the next few minutes because I was grateful to be stopped running...and my heart rate was returning to normal and I wondered if I cared about the turtle or just wanted an excuse to be done running... and for the next 2 minutes I was angry at the turtle for wanting to go THAT way because he had 3 other directions to walk in that would not most likely cause his tragic death. It was a narrow road, and as cars came by, several almost clipped him...especially the time his head was all the way out.

By now, my run is pretty much over and my attention has now shifted to thoughts on the peril of this little guy and wondering what my rights and responsibilities are to this tiny reckless reptile. (I was only in cub scouts for a few months, so we didn't get to that chapter in the book that spells out first aid for turtles, but I bet it's in there). I wanted to talk him into going the other way, but then I thought "maybe turtles are like horses or dogs...or other animals that know where they live..." "and what if some 6-yr old kid is crying that his beloved "speedy" has been missing for 8 days...and his mom isn't sure how to tell him Speedy's probably...well, not coming home... and is considering taking him to the pet store after school today to get a new one but maybe not because turtles really are so stinky" (yes, that IS how my brain works...welcome to the Inner Workings).

ANYWAY...as I'm watching Speedy...he gets a crazy streak of Brave and sticks out head and arms/legs (are they all legs? even the front ones? again, thanks for nothing Webelos...) in one bold move and moves about a quarter of an inch closer towards the other side of the road...and is not mostly out of the gutter and in the street. At this precise moment, a car that was definitely speeding came by and if Turtle would have been one second slower, I'd have witnessed a terrible turtle decapitation before my very eyes. It was at the moment I decided to take action, and since Speedy was now (luckily) safely inside his shell, I picked him up and walked him over the other side of the road...set him near the bushes on the safe side of the sidewalk. He was nice and didn't scratch or bite me or whatever turtles might be capable of doing to well-meaning but invited movers...and I set him down and told him to be free...and to "go THAT WAY, dummy!!!"

He stayed in his shell and I waited for a while watching him... until I realized I really needed to get going...but hoped he would make better transportation choices in the future. Like...mostly, not running away from home. We had a little heart-to-heart...and I went home.

About 1.4 minutes after arriving home, I decided to go back to take his picture. When I got back, I couldn't find him for a minute and thought, "If I just got outrun by a &%$^ turtle, I'm gonna kill myself." Relax reader, no turtle or human will die today...he was there all along. I snapped a few pictures...and you will see that for a turtle who just got his life saved, he sure doesn't look very grateful... And I especially enjoyed that after two photos, he suddenly popped out of his shell and started sprinting (in turtle time) away from me...like he was gonna "make a run for it," as if I was gonna hurt him after all that. For the love, turtle. You need therapy.

See, not very friendly, right?!

Anyway. I don't know what happened to turtle. I'm pretending he's at home happily eating...lettuce and resting in safe cage with 6-yr old Billy's face glued to the glass. I'm prolly not gonna drive on that street for a while for fear that he maybe got crazy and walked back out the other way...and...well, you know.

But I did think about him all day...and (cue the music where the moral of the story comes in...you know the kind)...I was thinking that we are a lot like turtles. (Well, when it comes to running, some of us are even MORE like turtles than others). Sometimes we have a plan of where we think we need to go...and sometimes...it's a pretty terrible and dangerous idea...but we can't see that because we lack perspective. But...Heavenly Father...he doesn't. He gets it...and sees when we're about to make a choice that could figuratively flatten us. Sometimes he snatches us...and takes us to safety or has others down here do it for Him. And sometimes, even after He has saved us...we try to "make a run for it" to get away from Him, thinking He is the danger...or the enemy. We book it away and he probably smiles at our "turtle sprinting" and is thinking "I can see you no matter how fast or far you run, so when you're tired of running, I'll still be here..." So. Now. Bless Speedy for providing a story for Sunday's gospel doctrine lesson and a post topic for me for today. And I guess for providing a reminder that I was probably needing...