One of the most popular Aesop's Fables is The Tortoise and the Hare. The hare is fast and confident about winning the race against the tortoise. So she pulls over for a nap while the tortoise plods on and reaches the finish line first. This episodes celebrates the tortoises among us.
You'll hear a recounting of the beloved children's fable The Tortoise and the Hare.
Although Aesop's Fables were written for children - their life lessons are ageless and timeless.
Laura Joyce Davis, @laurajoycedavis is the host of the podcast Shelter In Place - about coming together in a world that pulls us apart. Take a listen - the writing and voice are both beautiful.
Being A Tortoise
Hello and welcome to Uplifted. My name is Meg Luther Lindholm. And I welcome you on this journey from stories of adversity towards new insights for a better life. Today’s step on the journey is called Being A Tortoise
The other day while swimming at a local pool. I noticed how much water energizes me. I love the fluid flow of reaching out with my arms and kicking with my legs. My body feels merged into the water and I feel as flexible as a fish. The feeling is about as close as I can imagine to being back in the womb - that weightless, safe place where I float through the world. Nothing rejuvenates me the way swimming does. I feel light - as though I could swim forever.
But after several laps, the situation changes. That’s when fatigue sets in and I start working harder to breathe. My body turns into a weight that wants to sink. I switch from swimming the crawl to swimming the easier breast-stroke to make it to the end of the lane. If I strung together the laps I have swum over the last thirty years I’d probably have swum across about two thirds of the United State. Yet, despite all the many hours and thousands of laps I’ve never been an especially good swimmer. At least not in the way we typically think of good swimming. Because I’ve never been fast. I’ve never won a race. I’ve never been on a team. I’ve never won a medal.
Do you remember Aesop Fables – the stories with animals that had a moral at the end.
Well, as a child my favorite Aesop fable was the one about the tortoise and the hare..Do you know it? Well, get cozy with your favorite blankie and I’ll read it to you.
READ STORY – “The hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals said he… slow and steady wins the race.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think as a girl I liked the twist on the assumptions we make about winners and losers. We are taught from such an early age to strive for winning. We are so dazzled by people who are the best at what they do. So, it’s easy to lose sight of other qualities we possess that might even be more important in the end than winning.
When I think about the tortoise, I think of him or her embodying the values and attributes that I consider most important. First among these is simply the decision to do something. And then to keep doing it, to keep going without needing to be the best.
When I think about the activities I love most – the things that give my life color and pleasure – they’re all things that I’m not particularly good at. Tennis is another example. As a teenager I was insanely passionate about the sport. I would play every chance I could. Outdoors after the sun went down. And in the hot, drippy, humid heat of summer. I’d be dying of thirst, ready to pass out. Still, I wanted to play. Yet I was the only person who didn’t make the cut for my high school tennis team.
Same thing with the piano. I diligently practiced scales and arpeggios and played all the standard student piano repetoire. Pieces by Bach, Satie, Kuhlau and Schuman. I was working my up the ladder to a goal I didn’t want. I didn’t want to be a professional pianist. Now, I still play but only music that gives me pleasure. And I’ve never enjoyed playing more.
Passion and grit. Patience and self-determination. These are the qualities that will carry us the distance. Because let’s face it – most of us are never going to win. But that doesn’t mean we should stop or berate ourselves for not being better than we are. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not knocking winning. I’m not knocking the hares in the crowd who relish speed and do win. I wish I had been able to excel at something. Knitting. Hang gliding. Bowling. Ice fishing. But no. I’ve never really excelled at anything. But I have my passions. And I’m guessing that you have yours. And, if we simply do what we love I think we win anyway whether or not we even cross the finish line. Take pride in being the tortoise. It’s a noble calling.
Thank you for joining me on this step of the Uplifted journey. I’m Meg Luther Lindholm. The theme music is Air by Richard Smithson. Before leaving I want to recommend a podcast that I find uplifting.
It’s called Shelter in Place about about coming together in a world that pulls us apart. The host is Laura Joyce Davis. Please subscribe to Uplifted on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. And if you like what you hear I would so appreciate your sharing it. Until next time, take care of yourself and each other.