25 Ways To Overcome Disappointment - How To Move On After A Disappointing Situation

After years of saving for the trip, the long awaited day arrives and the view is breathtaking. You're on the edge of the Grand Canyon looking across at the vast beauty when all of a sudden the wind blows really hard at your back. Since it was so unexpected, you lose footing and plummet to your death.

That is how disappointment feels - full of fear and very permanent.

For three months I have been fighting with a my turtle's water filter pump. During the past nine years of being a "Turtle Whisperer," I have encountered many problems that threaten the cleanliness of Turtle's home.

When the frustration level at being unable to arrange the basking rocks without having them wobble or get the pump working properly becomes too much, I usually cry. Yeah, I can hear you say, "Crying doesn't fix the problem," but I just can't help it.

I finally bought a new filtration pump this week. So I set aside six hours on Saturday to clean the tank and put the pump together. I knew the agony that awaited and so I faced it with dread.

After eating breakfast, I embarked on the adventure. Everything was going great until I primed the pump and waited for it to start.

...Until I primed the pump and waited for it to start.

...Until I primed the pump and waited for it to start.

...Until I primed the pump and waited for it to start.

No matter what I did, the pump would not start even though I had spent the last seven hours working on the whole turtle tank thing. Tears were awfully close to spilling over when I decided enough was enough.

I took Turtle out of his makeshift holding box and set him gently on the basking rocks. He stayed there for a minute and then slid into the crystal clear water quite happily.





However, there are only sucker tabs where there should be a filtration pump in the tank.





I have a new plan.

Tomorrow I will return the defective pump and get my money back. No, I do not plan on throwing the pump at the sales girl who insisted that it would work for a turtle. (rolling eyes) I already have another store holding a different kind of pump, so I am hopeful that it will be an easy install with a happy ending.

Giving up is not an option.


"You must make a decision
that you are going to move on.
It wont happen automatically.
You will have to rise up and say,
‘I don’t care how hard this is,
I don’t care how disappointed I am,
I’m not going to
let this get the best of me.
I’m moving on with my life.'"― Joel Osteen

I know that many people, including my mother, think that I'm a little overboard with my attention with the turtle. Actually, I love Turtle. He is unobtrusive and peacefully swims around the tank every day. The turtle helps me relax and I love the sound of the water flowing in the tank.





Turtle does things other than swim and dive. For instance, he is an avid reader.

Seriously!

I can put any reading material in front of him and he stops to read it. Turtle moves his head from one side to the other apparently reading the words.





Okay, I know Turtle can't read, but it sure looks like he reads!





More than any trick that Turtle may perform, he loves me back. (humor me)

The moment I walk up to the tank, Turtle makes a point to come over to connect with me.





If I were wearing red nail polish, he would try to bite my nail because it would look like a fish. However, today I didn't have any polish on and Turtle still came over to give me a hug and a kiss...well, kinda.





Disappointments happen to everyone.

I try to think about it like this...

"But there were worse things
than disappointment,
and I'd lived through several
of them already."― R.J. Anderson
Never a truer statement made than that one.

How To Overcome Disappointment

There are several things you can do or remember to help overcome disappointment:

• Focus on positiveness in the future
• Take time to grieve
• Don't let it make you lash out in anger
  
• Count your blessings
• Remember the big picture and dream big
  
• Meditate/Pray
  
• Let the disappointment motivate you
• Don't become fixated on the disappointment
• Plan for a change
• Ignore the negatives from others
• Become solution focused
• Know that your dreams can come true
  
• Don't feel alone - Everyone suffers disappointments
  
• Re-evaluate your goals
  
• Write about it/Keep a journal
  
• Don't minimize the situation if it really caused pain
  
• Forgive yourself, others or the situation
• Accept that bad things happen to good people
  
• Find humor everywhere possible
• Don't let disappointment make you bitter
• Keep things in perspective
• Talk to a counselor, family member or friend
  
• Persevere and don't give up
• Don't fear future situations or outcomes
• It's never too late to try again
  

These tips can apply to any disappointment encountered in life.

The three tips that I want to highlight are the last three on the list. No matter how much you fear the future, it isn't ever too late to try again, so don't give up. Happiness and success is closer than you believe, but it will remain elusive unless you keep taking one step in front of the other.

I know that coping with years of trying to have a baby, starting the career you've always wanted after a recent job loss or finding the mate of your dreams after a painful divorce isn't easy, but it is possible.

Disappointment can be overcome and happiness is not elusive.

Believe me, tomorrow after the water filtration pump is working in the turtle's tank, I will be happy and so will Turtle. The disappointment of today will gently fade into a distant memory. The thing most remembered will be that I didn't give up and that I am still able to enjoy Turtle.






"Twenty years from now
you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do
than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."― Mark Twain

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Interrupt The Regularly Scheduled Post For Drama

When my cousin was a toddler, he disappeared and was unattended too long one day. He swiftly took my Mam-Maw and Gran-Gran's Big Ben clock apart.

Then there is my sister...Well, my sister was a destroyer. She chopped off my Barbie's hair to the scalp, ripped up their clothes, cut holes in things and I could go on and on and on.

On the more creative and intelligent side, Alyssa and Mom always want to know how and why something works, so they take things apart and put them back together again. Correctly.

Does everyone in the family "fix" mechanical stuff and enjoy it?

Ummm...No.

I do not like trying to fix anything that is broken. For instance, after a huge thunderstorm not too long ago my internet stopped working. I called up customer service and they wanted to walk me through a bazillion troubleshooting steps.

I wouldn't do it.

My patience ended the moment I lost connectivity.

Which leads me to the events of today. When I got home, the pump on Turtle's tank was BARELY trickling water. It usually blasts the water and keeps the tank crystal clear even though Turtle is a pooping machine.

Anyway, I disconnected the pump and all the hoses, carried them into the bathroom tub, disassembled the parts and cleaned everything. Now, what do I do to get everything flowing right?



Well, at that point, not only was I leaning over what had just become a dirty tub, but I was somehow soaked with the watered down poop of Turtle. As much as love this critter named Turtle, I was not enjoying the experience. Instead, I feel like screaming simply because it is so frustrating to have things break and not be able to fix them.

This kind of experience has me so befuddled that I didn't even think about doing the obvious things to help myself. A helpful man named Skip in my Twitter thread suggested that I should call the pump manufacturer's customer service department. How could that thought not even have crossed my mind?!

Without totally beating myself up about the whole thing, I am trying to reassure myself that I'm not an idiot. (rolling my eyes)

The fact that the pump has a bazillion parts should be reason enough to give myself a break.



I haven't had time to look at all the self help videos, but maybe that will help solve the problem.




(Feeling a little better now.)

There are many things that I can do extremely well and am quite accomplished at doing.

Let's see....I can:

• Sew
• Crochet
• Tat
• Embroider
• Needlepoint
• Knit
• Cook
• Decorate
• Teach
• Write poetry
• Take a good photo
• Manage
• Organize
• Speak publicly
• Give good massages (right Mom?)

That's enough for now.

I feel better.

We all have different talents and abilities. Just because I am not an ace at fixing water pumps for Turtle's tank, it doesn't mean that I'm not intelligent or as "good" as someone who can fix mechanical things that break.

At this point, I do have the ultimate secret-feel-better-real-fast thing to immediately change my attitude and will help me to feel better. If all else fails in the "fixing it" attempt, all I have to do is push the button and add a brand new water pump to the cart!



Pathetic.

I know.

Hush.

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Turtle Sticks Out His Neck

In the beginning, it was two girls and a turtle, but things have changed over the last eight years.

The little creature that used to be "Alyssa's" and then "ours" has completely become "mine". No one really cares about Turtle except for me. When the family is all together during a holiday, I can animatedly talk about my little reptile, but no one is impressed by his antics. It's not like he rolls over to play dead, fetches a bone, speaks on command or cuddles up on the couch. Turtle either swims or basks in the sunlight.

A few weeks ago I spent four hours changing out and/or scrubbing everything in Turtle's tank. Before I started on the arduous task, I called and talked to my mother for a bit.

"What are you going to do tonight," Mom asked.

"I have to clean Turtle and I'm dreading it. There is so much work involved," I replied.

"You can't really flush him down the toilet like I did with your goldfish. Just take him to the lake and set him free," was Mom's quick answer to my problem.

I gasped!

"I can't do that Mother!" I said stressing the pronunciation of her name. "I love Turtle and he wouldn't know how to take care of himself! I've taken care of him since he was the size of a quarter!" I said to her in shock at her suggestion.

Mom casually and without a whole bunch of emotion said, "He's a turtle. He'll be fine."

I was thinking that she was insane if she really believed I was going to get rid of Turtle.

We talked for a few more minutes and then I needed to hang up so that I could clean the very large tank.





"Turtle? Mom told me to just set you loose in a lake! I can't believe she suggested such a thing! Can you believe it?"

Of course, Turtle didn't answer me back. Instead, he pressed his face against the glass and just stared at me.

"I'm not ever setting you free, Turtle," I said. "Cleaning your tank is really a yucky task and I don't know how I will ever be able to do it when I'm old and crotchity, but somehow we will make it together," I proclaimed.

I sat and watched as he swam to and fro, stopping occasionally to stretch his neck way out of his shell. It is really unbelievable that his neck is so long. I love to look at Turtle's yellowish stripes, orange tummy, long nails, large nostrils and cute, wrinkled skin.

Turtle helps me feel relaxed and peaceful. Can you really put a value on feeling relaxed and peaceful? No, I can't either.

Turtle never makes a verbal reply no matter what I say to him, but that's okay. He doesn't have to say anything. I know what Turtle wants and needs. I am, after all, the Turtle Whisperer.

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Jealousy In Relationships - Under Water Or On Land

Desperately, in a jealous obsession, I probed every fold of his wallet, frantically searching for any sign that my husband was cheating on me. My heart was racing from both fear that he would catch me pilfering and that I might find evidence which proved I was unlovable. Breathing with quick, small breaths, unhappy fingers finally admitted defeat...or was it success? Nothing was in the wallet except a few dollars, a driver's license, credit cards and a picture of me.

Twenty-four years ago I was at the peak of my jealous obsession with my first husband. He was oblivious to my spying adventures, although they took place almost daily. I was so insecure and filled with self-loathing. My mind raced constantly with images of my husband and other women even though they were completely unfounded. He had never done anything to provoke my jealousy, so obviously it was all my own doing.

After years of this very tiring behavior, overcoming jealousy became my goal and I sought counseling. I needed a trained professional to teach me how to cope with all the overwhelming emotions that welled up inside of me and escaped in tears of panic. I needed to know why I acted in this manner and what I needed to do in order to banish it from my life.

How Overcoming Jealousy Can Improve Your Life

The therapist taught me so much about why I was jealous, the triggers of my jealousy, and how to cope with the emotions that caused my jealous acting out...better known as spying. I mastered the art of stealthily spying on my husband and even though it intrigued me into checking into a career as a private investigator, I'm glad that wild hair of an idea dissipated.

I had a problem with jealousy inside that manifested itself outside and kept me extremely busy with pointless actions and activities. Once I recognized the root cause and worked on healing the crack in my personality, my jealousy disappeared. It was sad to discover how much time I had wasted on this frivolous, pointless emotion.

Jealousy is negative thoughts and feelings brought about because of insecurity, fear, worry and anxiety over a an undesirable loss of something valuable, especially a relationship.

Dealing with jealous emotions rationally helped to make it quite clear that my husband was not cheating on our relationship by seeing other women. Jealousy had proven to be a very undesirable companion and I obliterated its existence in my life. I spent many years after therapy practicing and observing myself to ensure that jealousy did not return to plague me.

Without all the turmoil caused by the erratic jealous actions, I had much more time to pursue my own interests. The nagging feelings had disappeared and freedom to explore, flourish and enjoy life had taken their place. There are not many emotions that can suffocate one's mind as quickly as jealousy. It also can make the object of your obsession absolutely miserable.

How To Recognize Jealousy

Every day when I arrive home, the dog barks and the turtle swims back and forth in the tank like he's lost his mind. They both vie for my attention by making every noise possible. Bella, the dog, barks incessantly while jumping all over me and Turtle kicks up the pebbles at the bottom of his tank and bangs his shell against the glass. With each noise from one, the other tries harder to make even more of a commotion.

At this point, it appears that both creatures are just excited to see me, however, it goes a little further. I have a large recliner next to Turtle's tank and after depositing my belongings in a heap, I sit down to relax a bit with the rowdy bunch. Peace can not be found, however, because both creatures are extremely territorial and I'm the territory.

If I reach toward the tank to "fake" pet and touch Turtle through the glass or to run my fingers back and forth so he can chase them, Bella leaps on my lap positioning herself between me and the tank so that I am unable to see Turtle. If I move Bella away from my face, she will leap on my back, hang her head over my shoulder and lick my eyes. Through trial and error she discovered that my eyes are the only place she can lick that will deter me from playing with Turtle. Yeah, Bella, my eyes are rather important.

Turtle, on the other hand, is rather trapped because of the constrictive nature of his tank. When Bella monopolizes my attention, Turtle will dig the pebbles so frantically that the little rocks bounce across the bottom of the tank. He also swims back and forth, close to the glass and bangs his shell against the sides of the tank too. All the while, his eyes never leave mine.

Turtle and Bella have a jealousy problem. Actually, it isn't a big problem because they make me feel wanted and needed. Jealousy looks the same no matter what creature exhibits the behavior. It is cute between this turtle and dog, but in humans, jealousy is extremely unappealing. A spouse who acted like Turtle or Bella on a human level, could drive another person stark raving mad.

Is there a solution to this jealous behavior between Turtle, who lives under water and Bella, who lives quite happily on land? I don't know if I can solve their jealous problem, but I have found a way to give each the needed attention at the same time. Instead of sitting in the recliner, I now sit on the floor in front of the turtle tank. One arm rests by the tank to play with Turtle. Bella sits in my lap and plays with her toys while I try to grab them. Bella is oblivious as to what my other hand is doing and Turtle has no idea my opposite hand is playing catch with Bella. I have found the win-win in this welcome home committee and a positive spin on the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.






This is the weekly post where I spotlight my Rockin' Friends who are the Top Nine active participants and loyal followers in my community! If you want to be mentioned here next week, then all it takes is to come in and start chatting with everyone in my community.

Jealousy hasn't reared it's ugly head in The Redhead Riter's, Witty, Intelligent and Addictive Community. Instead, there are wonderful people sharing life, laughter, friendship and love...really.

With a big, heartfelt thank you for their participation and friendship, here are the Rockin' Friends this week in order of most participation.

• Joan at A Bad Marriage Is Fattening


• Katlupe at Homesteading On The Internet


• Bev at eBlebco


• Paula at This American Life


• Aleta at Paws For Thought


• Marlene at Marlene's Many Hats


• Carol at ArtMuseDog


• PJ at PJ's Prayer Line


• Zany Housewife at Zany Housewife

I'm so glad that I've been able to become friends with these lovely ladies who are so active in my community. I encourage you to add their blogs to your blogroll, but also come over and chat with us in my community.

For everyone mentioned in the top nine this week, feel free to grab the Rockin' Friend badge below (Yeah, we do crazy poses like that too because we are stylish LOL) and thank you for your participation!!





<a href="http://www.theredheadriter.com" target="_blank"><img style="width: 150px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="Rockin' Friends" title="Rockin' Friends" src="http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt308/TheRedHeadRiter/2009%20TEMPLATE/69015f9c.jpg" /></a>

Until the spotlight next week...Happy Chatting Rockin' Friends!

Until next week...Kiss your family, hug your friends and don't forget to be the friend you would like to have around.

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When You're Trapped

Being trapped physically, emotionally or mentally is a nightmare which if you haven't experienced it, I'm sure you've known other people who have lived in this very unhappy state. So before you tell me, "There is always the option to get out," I want you to think long and hard about what you're saying.

How To Clean Turtle's Tank

Today I cleaned Turtle's large fifty-five gallon tank. It was the usual nightmare. The process is arduous...

• lay a large old blanket/comforter in front of the tank
• cover the bathroom floor with a few towels
• unplug and remove the lights on top of the tank
  
• turn off the pump by unplugging it
  
• remove Turtle and put him in a large plastic container with holes poked in the top with a little water
  
• hook the special hose thing to the sink
• turn the water on in the sink and build a suction in the tubing (that now runs from the tank to the sink ) so that it will drain the tank
• remove the large landing rocks and put them in a bucket with all the pump tubing
• once the tank is drained, remove all the small rocks and put them in a bag to throw away (twice a year I change out the rocks too)
• use a glass scraper to remove all the hard guck (yes, that is a word) on all the glass surfaces
• soak up any excess water with paper towels
• scrub the inside of the tank with just water because the soap residue would kill Turtle
• take the pump, heater, pump tubing and landing rocks to the tub
• scrub all the above, but remember not to use soap
• use a metal coat hanger wire to clean inside the tubing
• put a new sponge, filter and charcoal bag in the pump
• fill pump with water and take back to the tank
• also take the cleaned landing rocks back to the tank
• put two bags of new pebbles in the bottom of the tank
• start filling tank back up with water while arranging the landing rocks in such a way that Turtle can swim up to the top rock and climb on to sunbathe - arranging the rock has taken me up to thirty minutes before
• add de-chlorinator to the water
• stop filling when tank is half full of water which is at the top of the red fish decal affixed to the outside of the tank
• arrange all the pump tubing in the correct position - outgoing water on the left and intake tubing on the right
• affix the heater in the water
• pull the handle up on the pump
• fill intake pump tube with water and screw cap on tight
• push pump handle down
• wait about a minute
• pull the handle up on the pump again
  
• fill intake pump tube with water again and screw cap on tight
• push pump handle down again
  
• wait about a minute and plug the pump back into the electrical socket
• remove very excited Turtle from the plastic container and put him back into the tank
• lay the wire mesh cover on the top of the tank
• put the lights (one is a basking light and the other is a special sun light) on top of the wire mesh cover and plug them into the timer which turns them on in the morning and flips off all by itself at night
• scrub tub and sink several times to ensure that none of Turtle's crud is left on anything
• take all towels and the huge old blanket/comforter and put them in the washing machine

I'm sweating, my back is breaking and I'm covered with Turtle nastiness all because I was shanghied many years ago!

Turtle is happy...as happy as a turtle can be, but still trapped in a large tank. He does the same thing every day - swim, eat, poop, bask under the sunlamp, play with me when I get home and swim some more. He never leaves the tank except when I am cleaning it. Turtle relies on me to cover him at night, uncover him in the morning, feed him daily and keep his tank clean. There is no way for him to get out of the tank, so he is trapped.

Are There More Choices or Am I Trapped?

Sometimes we make choices that cause us to feel trapped in the situation. For instance, I do not like cleaning Turtle's tank at all. Nothing about it makes me have goose bumps, but I do have a choice in the matter. I could:

• never clean the tank and Turtle would die
• give Turtle away
• throw Turtle out the back door
• return Turtle to the wild
• stop feeding Turtle and he would die
  
• deprive Turtle of light and he would die
  
• pay someone else to clean Turtle and hope they do it right (by the way, it is a very expensive service)

All of those things are choices that would make it so that I never had to worry about cleaning Turtle's tank again. So I'm not trapped, right?

Right.

Wrong!

I love Turtle, so how could I do any of those things listed above? Loving Turtle is a factor of utmost importance in this discussion. Because I love the tiny creature, I am trapped into cleaning the tank because I want him to live. I also feel responsible and obligated to keep him clean, healthy and alive. I would feel so guilty if I killed him and I don't live with guilt very well.

Love changes everything.

What's Love Got To Do With It?

Like my friend who has been in and out of a very unhappy, abusive relationship, we are often trapped in our lives because we "love" someone. But do we love that person or are we in love with the idea of loving that person? Or maybe we love the person they used to be and the current person is a mere shadow of him or her? No matter what the case may be, loving someone opens you up and makes you vulnerable to a world of hurt and pain.

Being trapped doesn't have to always be a permanent condition like Turtle and his tank. Instead, it can be an education and/or preparation period. Did you ever see the movie with Julia Roberts called "Sleeping With The Enemy" about an abusive husband who kept his wife trapped in a life of miserable unhappiness? The wife couldn't just walk out the door, drive away and get a divorce because her husband would kill her...literally. It took her a long time of living with him and faking happiness, in order to have everything prepared for a secret exit by faking her drowning in the ocean. I won't tell you the rest of the movie, but my point is that she had to wait until the time was right to leave.

There are times and situations that cause us to live in an unhappy existence while we prepare for the escape so that we are no longer trapped. Looking at someone else's life and telling them to immediately leave or change is not good advice unless they are in definite peril. You may rationalize and think that you know best, but you don't know all the pieces of the puzzle unless they have told you everything...and I mean everything. My advice to you is rather than give advice, ask what you can do to help and then do it without throwing your assistance in the person's face.

If you are trapped now, I'm telling you that it doesn't have to be permanent. You can have happiness if you are willing to do the things necessary to break free of the binds that now hold you. Plan and prepare for your release. If no one is there to help you, just keep saying, "I can do this...I can do this," over and over again until you are convinced it is the truth.

On the flip side, if you are trapped, but unwilling to do anything that will change the situation...stop complaining. Live in your unhappy state and give everyone's ears a rest from your constant turmoil. Living in the fifty-five gallon tank isn't that bad and apparently your life isn't either. It takes a whole lot of fortitude and effort to change the direction of your life. You can do it. It is easier to find success with a bunch of people that are supporting and encouraging your efforts, but you can also do it alone.

Turtle may be physically trapped in his tank, but he is quite contented with having me at his beck and call. Obviously, I get a whole lot more enjoyment from the relationship with Turtle than the unhappiness cleaning his tank causes me to feel. After three hours of "turtle tanking," I feel rather trapped, but in the back of my mind I know that I have options. Besides, I left one thing off the list of how I wouldn't ever have to clean the tank again....I could make turtle soup! Right?

No! Totally wrong!

I mean totally, totally wrong!

I couldn't eat Turtle!!!

How could that thought ever cross your mind?!!!








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Let Me Hide While I'm Sloughing

"All the thoughts of
a turtle are turtle."~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

I can't always look my best and actually, I don't really care to either. Frankly, it is just too hard to keep every curl going the right way, makeup covering all the flaws, nails painted, legs shaved, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera! It is not easy being a woman!

When I come home, I like to rip off the clothes, shoes and jewelry so that I can put on comfy pajamas. I always feel like saying the same thing when I walk through the door...

There's no place like home.

There's no place like home.

Throughout the year, things happen to my body and parts need more care than others. Rather makes me sound like a car, doesn't it? There are times that I need to slough off the old in order to enjoy the new. Products like face masks, nail files, clippers, lotions and heel pumices are totally necessary for these almost ritualistic grooming measures.

That is exactly the condition that I find Turtle in right now. She's shedding the old shell to prepare for the new, so her colors are a bit dim and her shell is rough.

Turtle isn't fond of having her picture taken on a good day, but she especially hates it when she's is sloughing.

Yes, I know what Turtle thinks!


I'm glad she can't get out of the tank or talk because she would probably have a few choice words to say. It would be like me taking your picture while you're wearing a face mask and getting your hair colored.

I would hide in my shell too.


Can't you relate?







Turtle's Mama,

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Two Girls And A Turtle

Surely it couldn't be that much trouble and it would probably die in six months anyway. That's what I thought when my mother gave my daughter a turtle that was only the size of a quarter. Think about it. Only the size of a quarter. Alyssa was ten at the time and I just couldn't say no to her beautiful big brown eyes and upturned little face looking at me with hopeful anticipation and excitement.

Knowing absolutely nothing about "reptiles", we made a trip to the pet store. We purchased some turtle food in a jar, a book on turtles, and a funny looking clear, green plastic, Lima bean shaped pond equipped with a tiny plastic palm tree. It was about as big around as a plate and only had three inch sides.

Oh boy, what an adventure. My big concern was that when the turtle died, which I'm sure it would, Alyssa would be unhappy and I wanted to spare her the pain. Besides, it was JUST A TURTLE.

We sat the turtle on a pedestal by the window in his new Lima bean home. Every day we talked to him. He would turn his head and look at us and dive back into the water. So tiny and quick.

Naming the turtle turned out to be an impossible task. First of all, we didn't know if it was male or female. Alyssa came up with so many names and basically she called the turtle all of the names at different times. I simply called the turtle, "Turtle". I know, don't say it.

Time passed.

Six months went by and to my amazement, the turtle was still very much alive.

What had I gotten myself into?

A year went by and I was actually attached to this little hyperactive creature. It had grown a little bit too. Now it was the size of a fifty cent piece. Woohoo...big, huh?

At about a year and a half, the turtle was suddenly lethargic, didn't want to eat, and wouldn't swim.

Oh no!

Panic!

I wasn't going to let it die!

I sat down and read the turtle book from cover to cover. The answer to his sickness seemed to be that he needed a better pond.

Goal in site and child in hand, we were off to the store to purchase more supplies so that the turtle could have a new home.

Equipped with a five gallon aquarium, a filtering pump, gravel, and a "light", Alyssa and I headed home and embarked on a rescue mission to save the turtle.

What a huge tank for such a tiny little creature, but Turtle loved it! He got well soon and began to grow.

Time passed.

Two years.

Now Turtle needed a ten gallon aquarium, a bigger pump, and a better light.

Three years passed.

Turtle was still growing and was relocated to a more posh fifteen gallon aquarium.

Four years with our little friend.

Turtle was happy and continued to grow right into a twenty five gallon aquarium with two different kinds of lights, a large rock to sunbathe on, new gravel in the bottom of the tank and a bigger filtering pump.

No longer was he "just a turtle". I looked forward to seeing the turtle more than Alyssa now. Plus, I was the one that cleaned out the tank all the time and fed him.

It is now 2009 and Turtle is six years old. He lives in a fifty five gallon tank with large smooth river rock lining the bottom and a stack of large rocks for sunbathing placed in the center, a thermostat to keep the temperature perfect stuck to the side and a timer that controls the lighting. Most importantly, a huge filtering system to keep the water crystal clear.

Every morning, I uncover the tank and say, "Wake up Turtle!"

Then I sprinkle some stinky food into the aquarium. Worms are doubly stinky at 6:00 a.m.

Turtle is not a regular turtle. Turtle has personality. Don't be skeptical. I'm serious! When I come through the front door, I say loudly, "I'm home Turtle. How are you? Welcome me home." He swims to the corner of the tank, stands on his hind legs and sticks his head out all the way towards the top of the tank. I usually put my finger in the tank about a half inch from his head so that he can smell and see me up close. Turtle has grown to be the size of my hand which makes him so big that I can see his little nostril holes!

I also ensure that Turtle gets exercise. I stand at the end of the tank and we race to the other end. He will shove off the side of the tank like an Olympic swimmer, turn sideways splashing his foot on top of the water while trying to beat me to the other end. Upon reaching the end, I turn around and start going back the other direction as he shoves off that end of the tank and starts racing me again. I actually do this every afternoon until he is too tired to race me any more.

I love Turtle.

I have since learned that this sweet little fellow can live fifty years and can reach a weight of up to fifty-five pounds. Turtle could possible live longer than me! I guess after I die, he will look at Alyssa and say, "Hey girl! Throw some of those worms this way. I'm hungry! Oh, and by the way, it is time to clean out my tank."




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