Firelight Blessings: Turtle's Message

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

What a delight to see this adorable turtle head in the bottom of the Magic Glass today. We all know that the turtle message is "slow and steady, wins the race." How interesting that this cute little turtle showed up, today. 

I had mentioned yesterday that I have several projects I would like to complete during this winter. I have been procrastinating doing them since I retired. Other projects took precedence, so we did them first, because they needed to be completed before the weather changed. Spreading gravel, gathering wood, building a wind wall for one of the stalls, extending the track system and extending the outdoor arena, among other things! We also played, because that is important, too! Balance in life is so important. 

Before the turtle appeared, I spent about 30 minutes sorting, which included tossing, creating a donation  pile and keeping what is useful or  warms my soul. It is as though my spirit guides were watching me and cheering me on. I actually was enjoying myself, too! I put a podcast on and got busy. Will I do it again tomorrow? I hope so, but if I don't, I am not going to feel defeated, because balance in life is also a message from the turtle. One that I need to embrace!

Balance between earth and water. Balance between moving slow and steady or swimming fast through life. Seek out the balance between thinking and creativity. Work and play. Being serious and laughing. Live in the moment, not in the past or the future. Find your balance in life. 

I worked in the teaching world for many years. I grew up in the business world. What a difference these two worlds are from each other. I was a good, not a great teacher. I always thought I would have been better in the business world. The stress, the politics in teaching and the lack of pay was frustrating to navigate. It has not gotten better, in fact, I believe it has gotten much worse over the last 25 years. 

I realize now that I did not live a 'slow and steady' life, like a turtle encourages us to live. I did not have a healthy balanced lifestyle. I was burnt-out when I retired. I burned out, because I pushed it way too hard between breaks. I didn't have a choice, the work had to get done. Many times (thankfully, not always) without any appreciation from students, parents, admin or coworkers. It was a lonely, sad existence. I found myself counting the long days ( I left home before daylight and returned home long after dark most of the time) until the next break, so I could attempt to recover mentally, from the daily stressors I was under. When a break came, I tried to let go of the stress, the trauma and the painful moments. Many times I worked right through a break. I tried to live in the moment, but I wasn't always successful.  I can see now, that I couldn't find a healthy balance between my work life and my personal life. I lived on stress, caffeine and little sleep. I was always trying to catch up, there was always more to do. (Lesson plans, grading, parent contacts, writing IEP paperwork, researching, etc.)

Interestingly, today's message is a beautiful blessing. I believe the Magic Glass turtle is sending me an important and very personal message. This message is to give myself permission to 'let go' of the rat race I was living in.It is ok and incredibly important, to live a healthy balanced life. Remember: "slow and steady, wins the race!"

Does the turtles message resonate with you? 

Are you living a balanced life? 

How can you find a healthy balance between your work life and your personal life?

Manifest a magical day.