A Favorite Childhood Book

I recently ran across an article in Book Riot (sorry, in spite of my searching, I cannot find it now to link it for you) about favorite childhood books and what they may say about your character.

It got me thinking about one of my favorites.

Turtle's Flying Lessons is a relatively unknown book though I did manage to find one on Amazon. I still have my copy and it's here next to me. As I thought through the plot and moral of the story, it was quickly apparent that this should indeed be a favorite. 

Turtle has a very sedentary, calm, quiet life. He has a settled life. Routine. He doesn't have to hurry, and he has no worry. He knows how his life is going to play out day by day. Pheasant and Grouse are his friends but they pity poor Turtle for his seemingly boring existence. They devise a plan to help Turtle bring some excitement into his life. Turtle is going to learn to fly. Or not. In spite of some very clever inventions and in spite of some very valiant effort, Turtle cannot fly. He is not created to fly. He is created for water. He is created for a slow pace. He finds his joy in being what he was created to be.

So now we discuss.

1. Do you know that I have, on more than one occasion, borne the nickname, "Turtle"? It's true. I am a turtle. I am slow about my business. My slowness leads to a lot of time day-dreaming. I need my daydream time.

2. I, like Turtle, enjoy my routine. I need the safety of not being hit by spur of the moment matters. (I can deal with those surprises, but I need routine.) I don't need flying lessons. I  need time to think.

3. While predictability seems boring to many, I find it energizing. I have been so insanely busy lately with Rod being out of town, Hannah deciding to join the Army and all that busy that came with it, the holidays--I have not had enough time to sit back and think about the important things, the quiet things.

All of this makes me wonder whether Mrs. Anna Brown (who gave me this book as a going away present when we were leaving Bonita) didn't see this in me already. I mean, was she telling me to embrace the quiet that was in me? Or, was it just a cute little book that she could give?

Whatever the case, I think that I AM TURTLE. And as I approach 50, I am okay with that. Everyone needs a quiet place sometimes because this world is chaos. I know very well how to be quiet.