So a rabbit, a squirrel and a turtle are on the side of the road. Yes, I know this sounds like the beginning of a bad joke but it’s really the sight my son and I came across the other morning. Since it’s summer (I believe I’ve already expressed my disdain for this time of year), my son stays with my mom some days. They live on a golf course and have all sorts of wildlife, so it’s not like this was a complete shock. It was odd though. The squirrel almost ran in front of my car and then thought better of it, but the turtle took a shaky step onto the road just in time for me to veer around him. I’ll have to stop on the way back, I thought as I drove. To my surprise, I didn’t. A car was pulled off to the side and a teenage boy was walking the turtle to the safety of the grass where it belonged. And I don’t mean picking it up and traumatizing the poor thing. I mean walking very slowly behind it, encouraging it to not give up and making sure it got where it was going. The boy’s mother and I made eye contact as I passed by and I gave her the nod and a smile. I was hoping to convey ‘you’ve got a good kid there, lady’ with that smile and nod. I hope I did.

If you’ve held more than a five-minute conversation with me, you’ve likely heard me declare that I hate people. I do. We’re wretched for the most part and a plague on this planet. I get so upset when I watch the news that I either cry or curse. Someone stealing from someone, killing someone, hurting someone, it’s a continuous cycle of disgusting behavior and I get more and more sickened by it the older I get…and then there’s this kid, saving the life of a turtle and his obviously late for work mom watching on with a smile.  I want to believe in us. I want to believe we can do better, be better. So I shall try to see the better side of things, one turtle at a time.

~Originally posted 9/2013