For years, we've had a desert tortoise that has milled around our back yard and believe it or not -- has provided us with hours of entertainment.
As strange as it sounds while she has no fur to pet, I find her presence calming. The first reason is -- she's deliberate. She chews deliberately, she moves deliberately and I would describe her as extremely persistent. In a world where distractions are the norm, if I can escape for five minutes to watch her, I'm reminded of the simple pleasures of being single-minded and that definitely provides me with a sense of peace.
The second reason is there is something very 'prehistoric' -- dare I say timeless -- about her. One of my nephews remarked that with her elephant-like legs and her toothless mouth, she looks like a dinosaur, which I comprehend. Most startling for me is that this creature that seemed to be dredged up from the past will outlive me -- making her part of the future. She comes from an ancient place and she will continue long after I'm gone. In her world, I'm just a blip on the radar screen which helps keep my life in perspective and makes the day-to-day grind much easier to confront.
In a related topic, a robotic baby seal will be making its way into nursing homes and is "being marketed as a therapeutic device that can help comfort people who have dementia, autism or other problems that can lead to social isolation."
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For years, we've had a desert tortoise that has milled around our back yard and believe it or not -- has provided us with hours of entertainment.
As strange as it sounds while she has no fur to pet, I find her presence calming. The first reason is -- she's deliberate. She chews deliberately, she moves deliberately and I would describe her as extremely persistent. In a world where distractions are the norm, if I can escape for five minutes to watch her, I'm reminded of the simple pleasures of being single-minded and that definitely provides me with a sense of peace.
The second reason is there is something very 'prehistoric' -- dare I say timeless -- about her. One of my nephews remarked that with her elephant-like legs and her toothless mouth, she looks like a dinosaur, which I comprehend. Most startling for me is that this creature that seemed to be dredged up from the past will outlive me -- making her part of the future. She comes from an ancient place and she will continue long after I'm gone. In her world, I'm just a blip on the radar screen which helps keep my life in perspective and makes the day-to-day grind much easier to confront.
In a related topic, a robotic baby seal will be making its way into nursing homes and is "being marketed as a therapeutic device that can help comfort people who have dementia, autism or other problems that can lead to social isolation."
Thoughts? Think this will work?
June 25, 2008 - 7:18pmThis Comment
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