Tortoise Musings

Yesterday, on page 3 of our Lowestoft Journal, the headline read ‘Tortoise Stolen’. Clearly this is of significant importance:

‘Police are searching for a 43-year-old tortoise that was stolen from a home in Lowestoft.’

No doubt our local police are out in force, scouring the town and local countryside. This must be a top priority…

‘The tortoise, named Fred, is described as being the size of a bowler hat and has paint splashes on his shell…’

Is this the work of a local criminal gang dealing in drugs, high-range cars, and tortoises? Was poor Fred just too slow to escape their evil clutches?

Tortoises can be victims.

Aesop’s Fable ‘the hare and the tortoise’ is well known. The arrogant hare ridicules the slow-moving Tortoise. The Tortoise challenges him to a race. The confident hare races off, leaves the tortoise behind, and takes a nap. The tortoise keeps going, slowly but steadily, and wins the race.

It’s an old lesson in patient determination, not being discouraged by those who appear more gifted. It’s about dependability, travelling with hope, not giving up.

Tortoises can be winners.

In ‘Alice in Wonderland’ the Mock Turtle describes his school to Alice: ‘When we were little… we went to school in the sea. The master was an old Turtle – we used to call him tortoise…’

‘Why did you call him tortoise if he wasn’t one?’ Alice asked.

‘We called him tortoise because he taught us,’ said the Mock Turtle angrily…

Tortoises can teach us.

A man and his wife go to a fancy dress party dressed in brown. One of the guests asks the man, ‘What have you come as, and why is your wife on your back?’ He replies, ‘I’m a tortoise and that’s Michelle.’

Musing… Somehow tortoises challenge my ideas of beauty, contentment and success…

The tortoise taught us… don’t be a victim… travelling slowly is OK… develop patience and determination… know when to stick your neck out… be comfortable but resilient in Michelle – your own shell…