Deep down in the blue ocean, a shadowy flap of wings makes an appearance. Time seems to stop as the silhouette inches closer. Slowly, the wings turn into flippers and the shadow becomes a solid shell with intricate patterns as if expertly placed, brushstroke by brushstroke, by a master painter. The eyes that look back at you are soft, yet full of ancient knowing.
As she approaches, the turtle continues her swift glide on her path, undisturbed. Not too fast, not too slow. Just right for her. She seems to acknowledge you as she passes by, but keeps to her route. You do you, and she does her own thing.
While she stops for a snack on the nearby coral, she allows you to get a bit closer. Your gazes lock and a sense of serenity floods your whole being. You remember that there is nowhere else to be, but right here, in this moment, exactly as it is. All is unfolding at its natural pace. Including you.
Once upon a dream, a wise old turtle floated to me on a wave. And with a deep, ancient voice she gently whispered:
Sweet soul… flow.
Flow with your joy. Flow with your pain.
Flow with your love. Flow with your sorrow.
Flow with your passion. Flow with your confusion.
Flow with the never-ending spiral of your path.
Flow with the current of existence itself.
What point is there in resisting what’s right in front of you when you are capable of swimming?
Swim around. Swim through. You will always find a way. No roadblock is insurmountable.
Glide with grace as you ride the waves of life.
Sweet soul… take your time.
Find your own unique rhythm and follow it without guilt.
There are times for slow steps and there are times for rapid leaps.
There are times for rest and there are times for action.
All seasons have their purpose.
Trust your natural pace. Remember that you’re not late. You’re not early.
Like all of nature, you simply are. And that’s enough.
Sweet soul… be yourself.
Let others be who they are, and let yourself be you – fully, wholly, unapologetically.
Follow your own path. Unphased. Unbothered. Your life is unique to you. Your journey is yours to create.
Don’t get swept up in what others are doing at the expense of your focus and inner peace.
Remember what truly matters to you.
Sweet soul… find your centre.
When you move in sync with your innate rhythm,
When you find acceptance for what is and flow in the direction that life is nudging you towards,
When you closely listen to the calling of your heart,
That’s when you may find a hidden oasis at the centre of your being that envelops you in a sweet cocoon of peace and tranquillity.
And all expectations, all striving, all comparisons gently drop.
And you can finally exhale with ease knowing all is well…
This precious place is always within you, buried under the noise of the mind.
Your mission is to find it and return there every time the world around you gets loud and confusing.
Pause and come back to your centre – again and again, as many times as you need to.
And only from there, from that space of clarity, make your next move with intention.
The turtle spirit called to me long before my first underwater encounters with these magical creatures. Nudging me to slow down, to find my natural pace and embody it without guilt and without comparison.
A slow life is a good life. Despite what the urgency culture we live in might try to convince us, the truth is that life is not race. There is no prize to be won for getting to the finish line first. What finish line anyway? The arbitrary milestones society decided we need in order to have a ‘happy’ life? First among whom? No one around you was born with the exact same combination of circumstances as you, and we all have different talents, desires, and dreams. So, it turns out, we’re all running different races. And yet, somehow, we got roped into believing that we all need to earn x amount of money by y date, and get married by z age.
What if, by accepting to run this race we got thrown into, we miss the very things that give our life meaning? Rushing from achievement to achievement, we often lose track of our what actually matters to us, what makes us happy, what nourishes us and helps sustain us on this journey of life.
A slow life is a rich life. It gives us permission to go beyond external noise and find a path that is true to us, with measures of success that might not make sense to others, but that make sense to us. And that’s all that matters. It gives us a chance to cultivate the very things that are important to us with intention and care. It reminds us that true contentment isn’t found in external achievements, but in living a life that feels aligned to our unique truth.
At times, we may need to slow down in order to reassess our trajectory and what’s important to us. There is an art in constantly repositioning ourselves towards the path that rings true to our heart. It may take time to figure out, but that doesn’t mean we’re behind. Living with meaning has no timeline and no milestones. It’s a process of inner and outer discovery, unique to each and every one of us. Our lives were never meant to be a carbon copy of one another.
And so, our task is simple, yet profound – to live gently, to live true, to live with meaning. And to give ourselves time and grace as we do so. This is the medicine that the turtle spirit shares with us.
P.S. If the turtle spirit had a soundtrack, it might sound a bit like this…
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