What I Learned from Walnut
Back in late May, a girlfriend of mine asked if I could pet-sit her daughter’s tortoise (tortoises live on land, and turtles live in the water) while the moved. He is a one-year-old Russian Tortoise to be exact and his name is Walnut. They live to be 90 so this is an investment! But for me, one month was nothing, so I said yes.
She brought him over in this tiny little cage, which I thought nothing of. Then she said, ‘His turtle habitat is in the moving van!’ She comes back with a five-foot-long, two-foot-wide turtle mansion. Too big for inside so we placed it on a bench on my piazza. Who knew a tiny tortoise needed so much space? But from what I read, this is normal.
Taking care of animals has always been a therapeutic pastime for me. For most of my childhood, I had about 10 animals at once. My parents let me take over a guest room and turn it into my menagerie. Over the years, the menagerie included:
Three cockatiels
Two finches
Three guinea pigs
Two fish
One salamander
Two rabbits
Two dogs (not kept in said room)
My parents thought these animals would teach me how to care for others, and give me responsibilities of cleaning the cages, feeding them, and playing with them. They were right. They may or may not have realized that they were also my friends when I didn’t have many. My pets didn't judge me for my high voice, lisp, or weird (!) tiger print shoes with stone-washed jeans and rainbow suspenders.
Taking care of Walnut was an absolute pleasure for me. I have never had a tortoise so of course I deep-dived into all of his needs- what food to eat, what supplements he needed, exercise, etc. It was overwhelming but also a joy.
Meeting Walnut
As soon as I met tiny Walnut I was smitten. His little black shiny eyes are always so curious. He loves head rubs and since their shells have feeling, I would rub and stroke his shell to show affection. He came to me in a big black box with a tiny window at the top. He was always trying to climb to the top of the box to gaze out the little window. My heart couldn’t take it so I googled ‘Turtle habitats’ and found one that was all plexiglass on one side, the other enclosed for sleeping. I ordered it, built it out, and added reptile bark on the floor. When I delicately placed him in his new home he craned his neck out and seemed to be in awe. All that light! The view! From then on, every time I came home, I would find him sitting in the front of his habitat (Friends called it his Richard Meier Perry Street Condo) just watching the world go by. Every morning when I could walk outside to check on him he would be sitting in his ‘bedroom’ and peering out into the world like an old man sitting on his front porch. He just needed a little mug of tea.
Meditation time with Walnut
In the early days with Walnut, I would let him just crawl on the couch and me. He often snuggled up next to my neck and seemed to fall asleep. Or terrified and scared? No idea. But as the Instagram algorithm does- it started sending me tortoise content and I saw a few people who let their tortoise wander in their gardens. A new routine was born. Every day in the late afternoon, I would bring Walnut into the back garden and watch him explore. He is pretty fast for a little one! At first, I would google search every plant he would eat- ended up he knew exactly what he could eat and what he shouldn’t. He loved a big purple Mexican Petunia as well as the Mexican Heather. This became a new routine for me to spend a little more time in my garden, being present with this sweet little creature. And yes, I did catch up on social media and news too. I looked forward to that time as much as he did. Then I would make him a little salad, put it in his bowl, and he would chow down and then lazily saunter back to his dark and cozy sleeping alcove, tucking in his legs and head into his shell, and dozing off for hours.
Continued Curiosity
This week, my friend came to pick him up. What was supposed to be one month turned into two- totally on my account. I was so in love, I didn’t want to part with Walnut. But now that she is all moved into her new home, her daughter would want Walnut back in her life. It was a hard goodbye for me. I became attached and enjoyed just knowing he was on the porch. When there was a wild thunderstorm one evening, I went out to check on him and he was sitting out, neck craned, staring at the sky. No fear, just pure curiosity. Something we have in common.
While I adore my dogs, having this seemingly rare creature in my care gave me something new to learn, a new curiosity and joy (and a little stress- don’t step on him!) to life. I was so thankful for this time with Walnut and my friend knows I am happy to take him back anytime they are away, or maybe even longer when her daughter heads to college (we have a while on that but Walnut will outlive us all!).
Now that Walnut is back home, I’m trying to keep up my daily routine of spending a little time outside- even in the high heat and humidity (in the shade!). It still feels good to get outside, to get away from my desk, connect to nature, and recalibrate. So thank you Walnut, for that little life lesson.
Do you take time for yourself each day? Away from the news cycle, work emails, and daily grind? If not, give it a shot and let me know how you feel after a few days/weeks. No tortoise needed (but highly recommended!).
