I draw inspiration from my turtle. Russian tortoise, actually. Redjinksi Tortinov. Redji for short.
Kjersti and I have had him for as long as we've been married. And it took some time for him to really trust us and reveal his personality. At first he was cautious and private. Naturally, after a mysterious life of surviving in the cruel confines of a small Seattle pet store with other creatures. But now in our third year, he's let down his guard. And here's what I've learned about him.
He sees something he wants and he goes for it. Most of the time it's a long haul to get to it, but once he embarks he doesn't turn back. He doesn't get distracted. He doesn't get demoralized. He'll march and march. He'll take a break and look around. Many times he'll be interrupted. We'll pick him up and play with him. Or we'll put him back in his Rubber-Maid terrarium where he'll bask in the artificial UV light. And he'll dig. He'll scratch and scrape and try to dig himself out. Because he was on a mission before. And he still is.
Hours, days, or even weeks later we'll let him out. And he'll just continue on his mission. He'll march and march. Slow and steady. He'll finally get to where he's going, and he'll conquer it. He'll climb up the log and nosedive off the other side. He'll do that again and again. He'll go spelunking under and behind the furniture. He'll find every passageway through a pile of blankets. He'll bury himself in the mess of cords behind the TV. When we pull him out, he'll grab onto the cords and won't let go. And once you get him untangled and set him down, he'll head right back for it. Tenacious turtle.
This weekend we were camping in Half Moon Bay. We always take him camping with us. He loves to explore. You have to keep an eye on him, but at the same time, you can trust him with himself. He's not reckless. He knows when to hunker down. Any sudden movements, and he'll react lightning fast, pulling his head into his shell. If he feels exposed he'll head for the closest patch of whatever he can hide in. And that's why you have to keep an eye on him. He's the best hider I've ever seen. He can hide in plain sight.
One time we were camping in Washington at Mt. Ranier. We wanted to go brush our teeth at the restrooms, so we left him on top of a very large stump that was about 4 feet high. There's no way he could get off... When we came back he was gone! He slid right down the slightly sloped side of the stump on his shell and started marching toward whatever he was fixated on. We should've known. We know him better now.
On our way down to California from Seattle he figured a way out of the cardboard box we kept him in. Basically, during the car rides, he would scratch and scratch and scratch away at the corner. Not in a panic. Not like, "I just gotta get out of here!!" But calmly and rhythmically. He barely did any damage on the first day, so we thought nothing of it and got used to the sound of his scratching. But by the end of the week, he had gotten one arm through, and was starting to use his strength to tear the box at its edge. He would've gotten out, even if it took him months.
But that's Redji. He's focused, he's slow, and he's steady. He's quick to react. He knows when to march forward, when to take a break, and when to take cover. Most of all, he's persistent persistent persistent.
Posts
