Pondering Turtle Eggs

One day I was riding on the local bike path with Stoney when we saw a turtle laying eggs in a hole by the edge of the path. Stoney made a quick comment about it that I don’t recall now. I mentioned how I tend to be oblivious to scenery and how I wish I were more observant. I quickly added, “You know, if I were Bill Strickland, I’d turn that turtle into an incredibly poetic and moving blog post.” Stoney agreed, adding, “Yeah, that guy is an amazing writer.”

I tweeted my experience to Bill Strickland writing, “During a ride we saw turtle laying eggs discussed how you'd turn it into a beautifully poetic blog. But 4 me? It was just a turtle.” He tweeted back, “All the better for you; one of the (multiple) reasons I'm not too fast is that I think way too much about way too much.”

Better for me? I'm not convinced. There is a virtue in not being too fast or, put another way, in slowing down and taking time to observe, listen and reflect. I've thought about his comment in the days since and have endeavored to pay more attention, especially as I ride. Until now, this has resulted only in sharing a few observations via Facebook. 

This blog will be an attempt to pay more attention as I ride. I can’t promise it will be often (or ever) profound. I suspect it will at times simply document rides for no other purpose than to relive a great ride. Fair warning: I’m a pastor so it’s inevitable that there will be theological reflections interspersed throughout. More warning: history proves I'm a terrible blogger, so I can’t promise that this blog will last beyond one post, or be updated regularly, but I’m going to give it a shot. I'm not sure where this road will lead, but I'll find out eventually.