How To: Life Is A Journey: Learn from the Sea Turtles and Take it Slow

My life is speeding forward and I feel like I am caught in a whirlwind of unexpressed desires, unmet goals, and unexplored opportunities. Why do I find myself browsing craigslist for studio apartments in Portland Oregon when 1) I have never even been there and 2) I really have no intention of going there anytime soon? Why am I constantly planning trips in my head to far off places and exotic locales when I have a six-month contract with Lindblad Expeditions beginning in March where I’ll be exploring the Baja and Alaska by cruise ship? Why can I not feel grounded, rooted, accepted in any one town or city?

One would think that a one-way ticket to Maui, bought fresh out of college, would force me to slow down, relax, take a breather from “the real world.” Unfortunately, it has only exacerbated my anxiety toward finding my true self and what my calling in life is destined to be. On an island essentially teeming with dark skinned, ripped surfer boys and plenty of sun and sand to satisfy even the most melanin deprived soul, I find myself looking into my blank future and worrying about where I’ll be in the next month, year, or even decade.

Some may call it the travel bug, other’s a thirst for knowledge or adventure, but whatever it may be, it feels like a black hole, a void in my soul that has yet to be sated.

Like any bad break-up scenario line, it’s not about anyone else, it’s all about me. I need to take a step back, slow down, ease up, just chill. Ku ku kachoo little dude, I need to take a hint from the masters of slothful life – the free and easy going sea turtles. I’ve been snorkeling with the prehistoric creatures several times now and I can’t help but be mesmerized by their complete and utter laziness. I know they’re not totally inactive, they do eat and sleep and mate like any other beast, but they seem to spend the better part of their day just floating. Occasionally they flutter one paddle-like arm to turn this way or that or poke their head through the water’s crystalline surface for a snoot-full of fresh air, but for the most part, they just hang. Suspended in the buoyant water, letting the gentle waves rock them to and fro, they are the Buddha’s of the ocean.

The Buddha once said, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Life is a journey and as we have all heard, it is a short journey. Take it one day at a time, go slow, and enjoy every detail of every day so that none can be considered wasted. Instead of worrying about the future, delight in what you have now. It will not only dissolve stress, it will make you smile and feel as free as a buoyant sea turtle.

10 tips for embodying the life of a sea turtle

1) Do yoga

2) Meditate

3) Read

4) Reserve time for yourself to do what you want to do

5) Get outside

6) Eat healthy

7) Smile

8) Bring joy to others

9) Sleep

10) Watch, listen and learn