Turtle Thinking

Whatever is true,
whatever is noble,
whatever is right,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable,
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy,

think about such things.

Paul of Tarsus, in a letter 2000 years ago

A timeless call to what is worth thinking about.

So much of the news, the media and social media is filled with the opposite qualities of this list.

Every time I read this list, I relax. I exhale. I enjoy.

Yes, those are the things I want to be thinking about.

I love to be in nature. To make long walks, to sit down and look into the distance. It’s calming and invigorating.

However it is difficult for me to watch more than a few minutes of a nature documentary.

Maybe it is because of this…

In nature, 99% of the time, you see nothing happening.
In a nature documentary they show you the other 1%.

Most of life is uneventful.
Most of life just happens.
Most of life is not spectacular.
Most of life is the 99%.

Six difficult words.

Even in situations when this is very obvious, you often don’t need to say them.
You can just move on.

But let’s suppose you do say these six difficult words.

It shows you can discern when you are wrong.
It shows you are secure enough in yourself to be ok with being wrong.
It shows you are willing to be in open communication with the other.

And what could the result be?

Trust, respect, a willingness to have the same openness with you.

All that for only six words.