Tortoise and the Hare

A short story from the archives originally published in 2013.

A friend asked to share this story as part of a relaxation session she's doing at a hospice later today. I wondered, therefore, if others may also find it speaks to them. So I share it here with an open mind and heart. 

The tortoise and the hare

I've always been a hare sort of girl. 

For me hares aren't just speedy but the first, the best and getting better every day. In a morning hares are wide awake and just want to get up and straight out into the world. They are prone to trying to do too much and as such sometimes need 'an all nighter' to get things done. Hares are prone to eating on the run and often get to the end of the day and realise they've forgotten to eat anything at all. Always with time and energy for others, always on the go and head buzzing with new ideas.

Tortoises are slow, everything is done just right and in its own time. Tortoises like to awake to the sound to nature not the alarm clock with time to contemplate the day ahead and plan what will be done when. Tortoises eat regularly and at a pace that allows their body to take in the nutrients of the food. Tortoises love others and yet know to put themselves first in order to be there for others for the duration. Which often means quiet time for themselves alone in some hidden corner away from others.

Each has their own way of being and doing that works for them so long as mind, body, heart and soul continue to be aligned. 

But what happens when a hare's body wants to go at tortoise pace and the mind is still a hare? What happens when a tortoise's soul starts to open and the need to be seen by others means hiding in a quiet corner is no longer something they can afford to do?

Whether we're a hare or a tortoise guilt, frustration and attachment are common themes when change starts to take place. Guilt of not being able to stick at the previous way of being, frustration at the slow pace of learning new skills or being forced out of our comfort zones and attachment to how things 'ought to be'.

The biggest error is buying into the collective consciousness of how things ought to be. Speed isn't right every time nor is a steady pace. As we learn from both these creatures we learn our body relishes the tortoises care and attention, our mind enjoys the hare's passion for creativity, the heart appreciates the way tortoise expresses love and our soul embraces the joy of hare. Each part of the whole asking us to accept their different needs and knowing alignment can be achieved, and yes without a dual personality. 

"A leopard can't change its spots" "Once a hare always a hare" no longer holds true.

As we personally evolve and emerge we must learn to listen to what our inner wisdom guides us to do, we must remember that, just like the butterfly, we can emerge more beautiful, graceful and at the other side of a transformation ready and able to handle what ever life has to offer.

Alison Smith

Landscaping Your Life 

Using nature to inspire change inside and out