The Turtle

One day, I was driving home from work, and I came upon a turtle in the road.

I carefully drove around the turtle and began to drive away. As I moved along, it occurred to me that I should stop and move the turtle to safety. Excuses flashed through my mind as to why I shouldn’t stop, and I decided against it. I pushed the thought away and continued along.

As I drove, the thought of the turtle persisted in my mind. I began to think of all of the reasons why I should have stopped to save the turtle, chief of which being that it was simply the right thing to do. I argued back and forth with myself, giving my excuses and arguing against them. It continued like this for some minutes.

Finally, I decided that I had to save the turtle. There was no way around it. It was the only correct course of action.

I pulled a uey and sped off back in the direction I had come, hoping that I could reach the turtle in time.

I arrived back at the spot where the turtle had been only to find obliterated remains; blood, organs, and shattered pieces of bone strewn across the road.

I slowly turned around and continued back in the direction of home.

Say what you will about responsibility. Say what you will about fate. I know that that turtle’s blood is on my hands, and I’ll carry that thought with me to the grave.

What did I learn?

NEVER WAIT TO SAVE YOUR TURTLE