How
common are turtles?
Wait.
Don’t
answer that yet.
This
isn’t specifically about turtles. So let me put two ideas into
place, then we can come back around to the question.
First,
I’m wondering how often you see turtles. I don’t mean the ones
that some of you have in aquariums in your home. I mean the crossing
the street, down near a local stream, in the corner of your yard
turtle sightings.
Second,
I do believe most of us consider turtles to be a regular thing.
Go outside and there’s a panda? Nope. Not happening. A koala or
a kangaroo? Depends on where you live, with it quite possible
in Australia but not so much in Canada. A moose? Perhaps, especially
in Canada, but you’d still be looking for something to take a
picture if you spotted one. And then, consider a turtle.
With
those ideas in place, I ask again: How common are turtles? Because
if I’m being fair, and we really think about it, they actually
are likely far less common than the way we view them.
I’ve
seen lots of turkeys roaming people’s properties. This summer,
in the evening hours, the fireflies were numerous and dazzling.
I’ve seen deer. I’ve seen geese. In the past two years, there
have even been sightings of woodchucks and beavers.
I
don’t remember the last time I saw a turtle. Even more precisely,
if you will, a wild turtle. And yet, my guess is that if I refer
to turtles as common, no one would argue the idea.
Some
of it is likely place and time. If you live in and around New
York City, a sighting of the Empire State Building or Statue of
Liberty might not generate the same reaction as it does for a
first-time city visitor.
Imagine
working with a rhinoceros. Every day, multiple days of the week,
you are interacting with a rhinoceros. Pretty cool. And yet, I’m
sure there are some people that get tired of the job and leave
for other opportunities. Substitute whatever you like for rhinoceros,
repeat the result.
Are
there things we take for granted in our lives that other people
might think of as amazing and really impressive? Probably. Actually,
almost assuredly. Heck, a five-year-old would be impressed by
a pool in your back yard. And I know plenty of pool owners that
are not too thrilled with the work that goes into maintaining
it.
Nearby
friend posted a picture of a turtle the other day on social media.
Cute enough, I suppose. It’s also what got me thinking about this.
I’ve spotted plenty of frogs around our yard. No turtles.
Even
the ordinary isn’t always common.