Blog #634: A Story of Two Sleeping Giants

Soon…

Two slumbering giants will be waking.
They’ve been asleep for five months.

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The two giants are tortoises.

When I say “giant,” I don’t know many people who could lift either of them. They live down the street, and for half-the-year, they live in a huge, fenced-in yard planted rich with everything that a tortoise loves to eat.

I walk my dogs by them – and when the two tortoises are out – I stand mesmerized watching them do their “do-little” thing. Wishful thinking has me believing they know me. Occasionally, they stare…then meander to the fence to say hello and get their heads rubbed.

Each year…

It freaks me out a bit when they get hauled to the garage and put in giant tubs to hibernate. I get nervous they won’t come back out…sometimes tortoises don’t. But thankfully, these two keep succeeding in this whole sleep-away-half-of-life ritual.

Soon…

I will learn if they awake from the big sleep again.

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People and the big-sleep thing?

It doesn’t work as well.

But we try.

Many of us often go into hibernation mode at the slightest whiff that a decision, choice or opportunity has arrived.

We might even ponder hard: “Should I do it?”

But sadly and often…

We sleep on the decision so long before deciding that the decision is NO longer a decision that is ours to make.

Our choice to decide disappears.

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Hibernation.

Wait too long to jump at the promotion?
The great deal ends.

Stall too long before deciding on the cruise?
The ship’s sold out.

Procrastinate on submitting the application?
The deadline passes.

Fail to introduce yourself to the intriguing person?
Lose the chance forever.

There are lots of losses living life as a hibernator.

Lose the chance to guide success.
Lose the chance to make a friend.
Lose the chance to write the story.

Lose the chance to create adventure.
Lose the chance to make the memory.
Lose the chance to make tomorrow different from today.

Loss.

Loss.

LoTs.

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Tortoises.

They can live over 150 years.

They have time to hibernate.

You and I have neither privilege.

If we perfect the practice of hibernation…

We lose out on fully living and loving life.

It’s that simple.

Hibernate life away.

Or wake up.

S.

Note: The good-looking guy in the photo above is MY little tortoise. His name is “Fibs.” Unlike the two sleeping giants above, he is active all year doing his thing: eating, sunning, napping…and posing for photos.