This post resonated SO strongly—for many reasons not the least of which is that I consider the sea turtle to be my strongest spirit animal. I have snorkeled with them and even quietly sat next to them on a couple beaches at night as they laid their eggs. Profound moments each in their beauty, grace (under water), and diligence. As for hens, yeah, now I know, even after growing up on a farm, why we never raised chickens. Heck, I don’t even eat eggs anymore! Thank you again Tomi for this wise proverb and for the biology lessons.
You have sat next to turtles as they laid their eggs!?! 🤩 What a great privilege! And they did it at night, quietly without fanfare. I know several turtle-like people and I enjoy cackling about them and their accomplishments to the consternation of some hens around them. Isn’t it amazing how much these wisdom are packed into these proverbs? I am constantly in awe of the powers of observation of the elders, including the ones from the so-called “illiterate” communities. Say hi to the next turtle you snorkel with.😊 Let’s all give the turtle humans the recognition and respect they deserve for their quiet and largely invisible achievements. And thank YOU for being a turtle. You make us all better with your valuable contributions via your written words, perspectives, as a lighthouse to family, friends, and the general public.🙏
What a beautiful opportunity Kert! What country was this in? I’d be curious to know! There is always room for us to slow down and allow more grace into our lives 🙏🏽
I swam with the turtles off the coast of Maui as the haunting songs of humpbacks silently reverberated through all things. I didn’t realize it at the time; I only heard the songs when I played back the video I took underwater from a submersible camera. It made the experience of swimming with my spirit animal friends all the more profound. I sat next to a nesting turtle in the after midnight hours of a quiet beach on the Yucatan Peninsula near Cancun Mexico. They are notoriously skittish and won’t come ashore if they see humans about. So I count myself fortunate to have spotted one while she was laying. I sat nearby so as to not startle her and simply bore witness to the sacredness of the moment. I’ll never forget either experience.
Tomi this is a beautiful share! Thank you for your wonderful insight. I can feel the potency of the energy you put into each of your newsletters. This is a very interesting one.
The virtue of humility is undervalued in society today. The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese Spiritual text by Lao Tzu made up of 81 verses about the invisible source from which we all derive (God, Universe, Consciousness etc). One of the lines says “Rivers and Seas can rule the hundred valleys because they are good at lying low”.
There is something magnetic about not seeking validation. Someone who is comfortable in their own skin and needs nothing from anyone, ends up attractive so much more simply because they are not looking for it.
Ps - for some reason when I click on your comment about the proverb I shared on the other thread it does not let me reply so replying here. Unfortunately, that proverb’s author is unknown! Maybe you could do some digging?
Thank you for being here, Vipul. And for the additional insights you bring. Yes, many seem to wrongly equate humility with stupidity, being simplistic, slow, or inferior. But you captured so beautifully what they miss--the magnetism and attractiveness of those who are comfortable in their own skin and improve that everyday, rather than waste time trying to get into someone else's skin. So much loss to those in the latter group and to the rest of us.
And yes, I will dig into the source of the proverb. That's a powerful one that sums up humility or the concept of stooping to conquer so well. Thanks again for being here, and sharing your wisdom.
This post resonated SO strongly—for many reasons not the least of which is that I consider the sea turtle to be my strongest spirit animal. I have snorkeled with them and even quietly sat next to them on a couple beaches at night as they laid their eggs. Profound moments each in their beauty, grace (under water), and diligence. As for hens, yeah, now I know, even after growing up on a farm, why we never raised chickens. Heck, I don’t even eat eggs anymore! Thank you again Tomi for this wise proverb and for the biology lessons.
You have sat next to turtles as they laid their eggs!?! 🤩 What a great privilege! And they did it at night, quietly without fanfare. I know several turtle-like people and I enjoy cackling about them and their accomplishments to the consternation of some hens around them. Isn’t it amazing how much these wisdom are packed into these proverbs? I am constantly in awe of the powers of observation of the elders, including the ones from the so-called “illiterate” communities. Say hi to the next turtle you snorkel with.😊 Let’s all give the turtle humans the recognition and respect they deserve for their quiet and largely invisible achievements. And thank YOU for being a turtle. You make us all better with your valuable contributions via your written words, perspectives, as a lighthouse to family, friends, and the general public.🙏
What a beautiful opportunity Kert! What country was this in? I’d be curious to know! There is always room for us to slow down and allow more grace into our lives 🙏🏽
I swam with the turtles off the coast of Maui as the haunting songs of humpbacks silently reverberated through all things. I didn’t realize it at the time; I only heard the songs when I played back the video I took underwater from a submersible camera. It made the experience of swimming with my spirit animal friends all the more profound. I sat next to a nesting turtle in the after midnight hours of a quiet beach on the Yucatan Peninsula near Cancun Mexico. They are notoriously skittish and won’t come ashore if they see humans about. So I count myself fortunate to have spotted one while she was laying. I sat nearby so as to not startle her and simply bore witness to the sacredness of the moment. I’ll never forget either experience.
"Fortunate" indeed.... I hope more humans understand the privilege of bearing witness to such sacred moments and don't take it lightly.
Tomi this is a beautiful share! Thank you for your wonderful insight. I can feel the potency of the energy you put into each of your newsletters. This is a very interesting one.
The virtue of humility is undervalued in society today. The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese Spiritual text by Lao Tzu made up of 81 verses about the invisible source from which we all derive (God, Universe, Consciousness etc). One of the lines says “Rivers and Seas can rule the hundred valleys because they are good at lying low”.
There is something magnetic about not seeking validation. Someone who is comfortable in their own skin and needs nothing from anyone, ends up attractive so much more simply because they are not looking for it.
Ps - for some reason when I click on your comment about the proverb I shared on the other thread it does not let me reply so replying here. Unfortunately, that proverb’s author is unknown! Maybe you could do some digging?
Thank you for being here, Vipul. And for the additional insights you bring. Yes, many seem to wrongly equate humility with stupidity, being simplistic, slow, or inferior. But you captured so beautifully what they miss--the magnetism and attractiveness of those who are comfortable in their own skin and improve that everyday, rather than waste time trying to get into someone else's skin. So much loss to those in the latter group and to the rest of us.
And yes, I will dig into the source of the proverb. That's a powerful one that sums up humility or the concept of stooping to conquer so well. Thanks again for being here, and sharing your wisdom.
I will persevere:)
Yes, Roz. As we all must do. Perseverance has not passed its 'best by' date and everyone, sooner or later, gets to appreciate why.
Such a cool concept for a substack! Thanks so much for recommending it to me