I want to be like a tortoise. Mayan the Red-footed Colombian Tortoise to be more specific. Those of you in Mrs. Lund's biology class would know him (those in bio last year would know HER as Maya, but yes, Lund has discovered that her beloved wanderer is actually a boy!) and you probably remember his silly wandering and attempts to destroy his cage. Well anyways, Mayan is such a thoughtful tortoise. Funny that an animal should be considered thoughtful, but that's how I see it. I was watching him today during study hall, and every move his makes is careful and deliberate. Each step and turn of his head, he seems to be considering before acting. I think that's something we could all learn from. Weighing our options, praying, asking for guidance- those are the kinds of things we should be doing ALL THE TIME. Our actions have a BIG impact on the future, so much more than little Mayan's. If he can take the time to decide which direction he's gonna walk inside a classroom, I think we can take the time to decide how we'll react when someone insults us or how far we'll go to help someone. Be like Mayan, don't rush through life. Consider the possibilities!
Though thoughtful, Mayan is not always reasonable. However, he is always persistent in his quest, no matter how impossible. Mayan will try absolutely anything. For example, during study hall he attempted to fit through a 3-inch across opening in a box. Now, Mayan is no small tortoise, his shell is at least 8 inches in diameter. He wanted to get through that opening though, and he tried and tried until I finally moved the box so he wouldn't hurt himself. Earlier, he tried eating my finger. He didn't make much progress, because my finger was on the other side of the glass of his cage, but that didn't stop him from opening his mouth as wide as it would open and bonking it into the glass repeatedly (it was quite hilarious, Mayan makes me smile :D). All I could think of was "What amazing determination!" What if everybody had the determination of that little tortoise? I wish I did. I wish had the strength to continue, unfazed, even after my head kept hitting the glass or my shell kept getting stuck in an opening. To press on even when the world seems it was built to trap me in, because maybe one more time is all it takes. Maybe we're 2 feet away from the finish line of a 40 mile sprint (inside joke) when we decide to give up. So I hope next time you're discouraged, you'll think of Mayan giving his all to break through barriers, and you'll do the same.
