For those who grew up spending a lot of time with your grandparents, you know that from time to time, they drop some serious knowledge on you, when you least expect it. My grandfather, on my dad’s side, had a knack of making profound statements that hit me later in life. Once, when I was 7 years old, he asked me to help him with the “kooda” (that’s a large turtle or tortoise for those who don’t know). Now, we grew up with all types of farm animals: chickens, deer, pigs, cows, rabbits, fish, etc. so this wasn’t anything new to me.
Well, I was very excited and jumped at the chance to help out. I followed my grandfather to his pickup truck and helped him get a bucket off the back. Inside was the “kooda” and it was still alive. We walked over to a large chopping block. My grandfather took the “kooda” out of the bucket and sat it on this large piece of wood.
He told me, “When I tell you, hold that stick out with both hands in front of the shell. He’s gonnabe quick so don’t jump. His head is gonna jump out and he’s gonna snap down on the stick. When he does, just hold it steady and pull back slowly.”
As I found a stick for the task, I noticed that my grandfather had a screwdriver in his hand but I didn’t put two and two together. When it was time, I held the stick out in front of me and a few seconds later…SNAP! The turtle head sprung from its shell and grabbed the stick.
I was so happy and excited I was almost screaming to the top of my lungs, “Granddaddy! I got’em! I got’em!”
“Pull back just a lil’bit…a lil’bit more…” my grandfather told me as he walked to me slowly.
THUNK! The sound of metal going through wood echoed in my ears. When I looked down, I was shocked to see the screwdriver pierced through the neck of the turtle, down into the chopping block where it was sitting.
My grandfather, baffled by the shock in my face asked, “What did you think we were doing? Playing with him? We don’t play with our food.”
I let go of the stick and watched as my grandfather chopped the head off of the “kooda.” My memory fads after this but I’m sure he removed the turtle from its shell and took it into the house for my grandmother to prepare for dinner. Although this experience was shocking, it taught me some valuable lessons. Over the years, I have grown to appreciate and apply these lessons to my life.
Looking back, I can see three ways this story can be applied to everyday life.
1. Know what you’re getting yourself into. Just because you want to spend time with someone or you really want to participate in an activity, be sure you know what it all entails. Too many times in life we let our emotions hinder intellectual judgment, or at the very least, skew our perceptions of reality.
2. Don’t play with your food. When you’re an adult, you have to look out for the essentials in life: food, shelter and clothing. Playing with your food means jeopardizing one of those things. Also, sometimes necessary actions must be taken in order for you and your family to eat. You may not want to do certain jobs or sacrifice certain things but at the end of the day, food, shelter and clothing are most important.
3. Everything has its purpose. We should be thankful for the food we eat, for the people in our lives and the abilities that we acquire. A universal respect for all living things, for all experiences is necessary to live a balanced life.
WorthyWords: Appreciate your Life, your Gifts, your Abilities & Talents. It's a slap in the face of those who have less than you.
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