The Snapping Turtle’s Lament January 28, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Animal Welfare, Fiction, Humor, Life Lessons, Nature.Tags: Bumper sticker, Chicken, Fiction, Human Nature, Humor, Turtle
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Stupid chicken! Always going on and on about life on the other side of the road. I can’t even tell you how many times I heard:
Why did the chicken cross the road? . . . to get to the other side.
The more I heard about “the other side,” the more convinced I became that I should make the journey and see for myself.
Stupid chicken!
Now, here I am . . . only halfway across the road and I’ve run out of steam. It’s hot and I’m tired. I just want this ordeal to be OVER.
From this mid-way mark, I see what waits on the other side of the road.
Not much, that’s for sure.
There’s no discernible difference from the grass I left behind ~ not enough to motivate me to keep going forward.
Whoever said, The grass is greener on the other side of the fence, is an idiot.
S~C~R~E~E~C~H!
Hey! Watch out where you’re going . . . stupid drivers!
Continuing this journey to reach some pre-determined destination no longer holds any appeal for me . . . but I don’t have enough energy or stamina to turn around and retrace my steps.
I’m stuck!
Stuck in the middle of the road . . . hoping that the cars whizzing past are sporting bumper stickers that say, I Brake For Turtles.
The last thing I need is some beat up pick up truck bearing down on me with a bumper sticker that says, Turtle Soup . . . it’s what’s for dinner!
Stupid chicken!
And while we’re on the subject of chicken . . . turtle meat does NOT taste like chicken.
Turtle meat tastes like rotting fish innards.
Chicken is MUCH tastier!
So listen to those cows . . . Eat M’Or Chicken!
This made me smile, really big; ear to ear!
I had so much FUN writing this, Suzi!
We happened upon a snapping turtle in the middle of the road yesterday. It wasn’t moving. It had run out of steam.
BFF picked it up and returned it to the lakeside of the road. As soon as he set it down on the grass . . . it made a beeline for the watery deep.
And we could hear it saying, Stupid Chicken!
Goodness Nancy I can relate to that turtle!
That’s why I wrote it, PiP! We often go after what others have . . . because “they” have convinced us that we should want it too.
Even when we don’t.
It’s good to keep reminding ourselves we don’t!
Socrates believed that people who took the time to examine their lives became FRUGAL as a result.
When asked why he went to marketplace every day, he replied, “I like to go and remind myself of all the things I don’t need or want.”
Wise man, that Socrates.
I was going to ask you what instigated this intriguing post Nancy, but now I know! Yaaaay to BFF for rescuing the turtle!
I guess we’ve all been on the “other side” and found out there is nothing better or different! Great post!
Thanks, Barb! This was a delight to write . . . I’ve never personally personified a turtle before.
There are times when we look “over the fence” and realize we might like it better on “the other side” ~ for example, our move to Florida. In my experience, the best way to evaluate that sort of change is to look within for guidance, rather than sticking our neck out to blindly follow another’s lead.
This made me smile!
I have been the turtle on occasion when I didn’t know that all that matters is what is within, my perceptions, and then the grass will always be green on my side of the fence.
Thanks, Marie! Often, if we find ourselves at what feels like a “dead end,” we realize we are “stuck” because we followed someone else’s lead rather than listening to our own intuition.
A brilliant metaphor, Nancy.
If you sat in the car giving me the “Stupid chicken” line, I would have had to look for a washroom.
Thanks, Amy! We were laughing so hard, we almost didn’t make it home!
That turtle just doesn’t get that the other side of the road is what she should make of it. I guess she forgot that she will only make progress by sticking her neck out. She needs to take that leap in the dark.
Good points, NC. Perseverance is good . . . provided that we are headed in the right direction.
Of course, sometimes the opposition we face is the Universe’s way of saying, “Turn Around. You’re going the WRONG way!”
How do we know whether to “keep on keeping on”?
Look deep. The answers lie within.
Great post, Nancy.
Thanks, Andra!
That was funny…and insightful at the same time…great combo there. And then to top it off with BFF rescuing the turtle…just perfect!
There was a good quote on Daily Enlightenment today….”you may think the grass is greener on the other side, but if you take the time to water your own grass, it would be just as green.”
Thanks, Kathy. I love that quote! We should water our own garden before moving on to “greener pastures.”
Hilarious! stupid chicken Ha!
The poor little guy was in a pickle. Pickles taste good on chicken sandwiches, not on turtle sandwiches. (So I’ve heard.)
Thanks, Janna! You’re right! I don’t think we’ll see a Super Bowl commercial this year: Turtles + Pickles = Perfect Together.
Just sayin’
Well I think the grass was thinner on the other side… ‘cos too many people, turtles and chickens crossed over to have a look!
You are RIGHT, Denise.
Far better to take the “road less traveled.” It’s less DUSTY!
heh heh. this was great. Glad you rescued the turtle too. We have a couple of snappers on the property, one is named Sally and I look for her every Spring.
Oh, that’s nice, Joss. It’s such a pleasure when “welcome visitors” make their homes in our yards.
I don’t know. I liked the turtle soup in NOLA.
Once, I saved a turtle by moving it to the side of the road . . . only to have someone come along moments later to toss it into the back of his pick up truck.
Shocked, my mouth hung open.
He looked at me and said, “Did you want it?”
“Um, no.”
“Great. We eats ‘em.”
I stopped once to pick up a huge turtle in the middle of the road. I was wearing a dress and had never touched a turtle that size before. I am sure I looked quite silly but it was worth it. I hope I put him on the right side of the road come to think of it. They have such a terrible plight. I always feel so sorry for them.
We humans are always in such a rush to engage in the rat race ~ animals pay the price for our haste. We abandoned the idea of living in the Poconos because of all the dead deer we saw on the side of the winding roads.
We must learn to live in harmony with the Earth . . . thanks for doing your part.
Oh! This is sooooo sad. I couldn’t quite make out the second picture but don’t tell me.
It’s NOT a squashed turtle . . . it’s just a photo to show what a snapping turtle’s tail looks like as it scurries away.
Here’s to reaching the right side of the road for us. {{clink}}
Very very cute. I feel sorry for turtles when it comes to battling human development.
The turtles, the deer, the bobcats, the gators, the polar bears, the rhinos, the elephants, the chimpanzees . . . etc., etc., etc.
We need to do a better job of integrating with the wonders of the world . . . if we want a wonderful world in which to live.
Stupid chickens! Greener grass means more mowing, right?
Exactly! Better to hold back on the manure . . . to save ourselves from mowing so often.
hahahaha
Chooks – you can’t trust ‘em
You really can’t . . . they’re very “flighty.”