Corley the Wisdom Turtle...

Corley, the Wisdom Turtle

The grass was moving and the weeds were swaying, brushing its tops to reach the skies. Was it the wind? Although all of a sudden I heard a very gentle swish swash, very  quietly. As I look down and viewed closer. I realized that it was, yep, Corley, the turtle - the wisdom turtle. My heart sprang with joy. It had not appeared for over a year and I always wondered whether it was still alive. Had it survived the dry spells? It lived beneath the wooden porch and used to come out once in a while. Especially when it was going to rain.

It was a dry hot summer day. The heat was pressing and knocking its way all around. The feeling of tiredness and exhaustion always comes with these temperatures. Yet that day, when I saw Corley, it was surely an announcement that rain was on its way. And it was. A few moments later the winds cuddled dark clouds in the skies and build momentum, until its tears dropped and showered mother earth with its grace. What a relief! Everyone feels it! For we are nature. We all feel its shifts and changes, moods and presence.

I smiled as Corley moved its way turtle wise into the garden and ready to explore the woods that stretched its arms before me. As the day progressed, I went inside and decided to enjoy the rain and the refreshing gift it brought with it.

After a few hours I went outside again, only to notice, that in that specific moment, Corley was slowly coming back to its home up the hill. I observed it  and said to myself: "It'' would really shock me if it walked towards me." As it started taking its twists and turns. I realized that it was! Normally it goes through the bottom step. Not this time.

As it climbed the hill, carrying its heavy shell that reflects the cosmic realm, it slowly reached up to the level where I was at. There was a hammock in the center that sits on the ground, a grounded hammock. There were two paths to come towards me and back to its home underneath the porch. 

The right one that was clear, easy and direct to come through, straight to me and under the entrance of its home. On the left side there was a hose on the floor with all its swirls and twirls, all tangled up on the ground. The difficult full of obstacles path, at least for a turtle to come across.

As I waited to see which path it would take. In silence, I observed and waited to see what it would do? 

Then, yep! It started coming gently but slowly through the harder more difficult path that was full of obstacles.  It was going to take a while for it to reach me at the porch. So I went inside to stand  next to a window to get closer to it on the other side. It hissed at me. As I spoke to it with love, it calmed itself down. Then it walked very calmly through all the hose challenges, twists and turns,  towards its home, trying to arrive home. I. listened. Nature always speaks and wondered what was the message? The gift? It was bringing me.

I went back out to stand in my initial place as it came towards me to the door step of the porch. We bonded heart to heart. I spoke to it with loving and kind words. We connected. It... listened... and felt it... and seemed to like it. I did not pick it up even though he was reachable.

Nature. I believe is to be left alone. It is always wise in guiding the animals to make their choices. Its important to let them have their experiences unless injured and in need of rescue assistance.

The temptation to pick it up and show it the way and put it in front of his entrance, was there, yet I knew he could figure it out. Otherwise how would it learn its way?

We stood there. It kept trying to go under the porch in the wrong way, were it was harder and were there was no door, no entrance.  It kept pushing against the wall and 'forcing' its way in, where there was "No" door. It kept trying and trying without success. As if though knocking on the wrong door. Then it just stood in the corner. For quite some time. Then I decided to let it be for a while and went back into the house.

As I returned sure enough it had found its way back to its home underneath the porch. What a mirror this was for me. In life sometimes we try to force things to happen and knock in all the wrong doors that are not opening and push and shove and hope to make sure the door is there, when it is not. Also the wisdom of Corley reflected me to take it slowly, to ponder, to be... Just... 'Be'... Also to allow things to be. And in time, like Lao Tse wisely says: "All will fall in place on its own" and when it does...

Corley

you will find the right direction to take... effortlessly. As for Corley he sits underneath my porch and comes out sometimes when it rains to enjoy the simple pleasures and gifts of nature where my soul endures, thrives and knows it has forever a friend.... named Corley....

II

Days Past... this morning I woke up and as I went outside there was a wiggling little sturdy creature coming out from underneath the porch. And in that moment I became further aware that that day that Corley took that round (above the hill, not below like it normally does) was truly a message... giving me what was needed on that day... and on this day... and every day nature reminds me to observe... listen... and learn... about the magic of life and the cosmic realm and to treasure my forever friend... named Corley...