What is Undesirable?
Linda Soller | May 20, 2024
What is undesirable to one may not be to another. Still on the topic of neighbors, but this time it’s not for the birds (sorry I couldn’t resist). All I wanted to do that afternoon was get my mail. Walking down our pipestem drive I spotted something large, dirty, and green near my neighbors’ trash cans. As I got closer, I saw the largest snapping turtle (we named her Myrtle) I had ever seen in the wild. I’m smart enough to know better than to touch her but was concerned enough to think I had to personally help her in some big way. All neighbors were alerted, the road marked to avoid collision with vehicles, and calls were made to animal control and wildlife rescue in Virginia. Our concern was appreciated but we were told to leave Myrtle alone to go wherever she was headed. That is what we did, and that is what she did.
Myrtle was dirty, away from home, aggressive, and not at all concerned about making a good first impression. She was living her life the best she could. She was most likely heading back to the creek after having buried her eggs high off the water. I learned that’s what they do. We wanted to help her but feared her. It turns out that Myrtle is important to nature and does a great job keeping our creek clean and free to run. But her appearance didn’t scream, hey come get to know me. Despite everything, she is valuable and that is the take-away from my tale.
Too often when we see people who don’t look like us, or who scare us and we assume they are not our problem. Often, we think they are the problem even if they’ve done nothing but exist. I thought Myrtle needed my help but, in this case, the best thing I did was to learn from an expert what not to do. By offering some support (in the form of a safe street crossing) I was being helpful. Every little bit can make a difference. Myrtle needed us to look past her appearance, respect her natural tendencies, and still offer support. She didn’t look desirable, but she is very desirable. In the circle of life, Myrtle is a survivor.
Be kind, be brave, have faith! : ) Linda
