The Turtle and the Rabbit

The turtle and the rabbit.

We can all recall the story from our childhood. The race between the turtle and the rabbit.

One fine summers day, the turtle and the rabbit lined up at the start line. The race between these two animals along a straight stretch of highway. The finish line could be seen far in the distance and alongside the highway were a number of small mounds covered in lush grass and wild flowers. The rabbit was full of bounce with eyes sparkling with excitement awaiting the sound of the starters gun. The turtle was quiet, his eyes fixed firmly on the finish line and there was no distracting his focus.

The rabbit muttered to himself as the starters gun suddenly sounded. This is going to be such a breeze, like a stroll in the park.

The race was underway the rabbit already metres down the road and the turtle only making his second step across the start line. Close on halfway the rabbit looked back to see where his competitor was at seeing the turtle was only metres out of the start line, he thought to himself. Man I’m going to whip this turtle I might as well take a rest here in the lush grass on one of these mounds beside the highway rather than hang around at the finish line. I’ll still kick the turtles butt after a lovely stretch out in the sun with the lush grass and fragrance of the wild flowers helping to relax my body.

To everyone watching the race they were very surprised to see the rabbit who had made such a dash at the start of the race, hop off the highway and stretch himself out on one of the mounds covered in lush grass. The turtle was still only metres up the race course plodding along one plod after another and feeling the heat of a bright summers day.

The day dragged on and Mr Turtle kept plodding and plodding. Mr Rabbit has relaxed on the lush grass with its wonderful fragrance of wild flowers in the air, he had drifted into dreamland.

With a jolt Mr Rabbit awoke feeling the heat had gone from the day with the sun getting close to slipping behind the distant mountain ranges and to his horror he danced towards the finish line to see Mr Turtle only feet away from the finish line. He dashed to the race course hoping to make very quick ground bursting with energy and desperation but to no avail. With some distance to go Mr Rabbit watched in utter horror as Mr Turtle stepped over the finish line to the applause of all the onlookers. A seemingly impossible challenge for the likes of Mr Turtle had this day turned into triumph as his diligent plodding and staying focused on the goal won over a dashing and she’ll be right mate attitude by Mr Rabbit.

I share this story as it has a parallel with my journey this past eight months or so.

I was in a very positive place following the Molesworth cycle challenge through New Zealand’s largest high country station in the Upper South Island.

I was making good gains with the aid of an Acupuncturist who had been instructing me in training my body firstly to do natural sitting and then I had progressed to natural standing. I had worked my way to the point where I could do natural standing for periods of half a minute without any support being needed from either another person or using my own arms. It was an exciting point to have reached and much nicer feeling were flowing throughout my body and energy levels were starting to soar.

This was not to be long lived sadly as there was road works needing to be done up ahead and I hit several ugly pot holes and the second one being a rather deep and nasty one.

Firstly while shopping at the Mall one Friday afternoon with my support worker the left upright on my wheelchair supporting my backrest came adrift with one of the lower bolts sheering off. This caused the left side of my back to be thrown out and around my Hip. This hampered my daily exercise routine and pain again flooded my body and the ability to stand naturally a memory.

Receiving treatment and processing where I was at following the injury but retaining the focus, we had just celebrated the Molesworth fundraising event at Laura Fergusson when the second nasty pot hole halted my plodding efforts majorly.

I hit a low part of my journey ending up in hospital for nine days a very sick laddie. I think the emotional pain was almost worse than the physical pain and the physical pain was up there for a good deal of that stay.

There were many who came to support me and cheer me on and I connected with so many via my Braille technology throughout that phase but even that hit a pot hole of its own for a period and I had to ask for the Master to add grace to grace and as He promises He proved again that His Word is truth. He giveth and He giveth and He giveth again as dear Annie Johnson Flint put it so well in her hymn.

I was feeling rather drained but so happy to be going home at the end of those nine days a Physiotherapist came to see me and check my strength levels as she was concerned I would need to be taken home in an ambulance. This laddie failed the strength test unable to stand at my bed with the assistance of other hospital staff and walk to the hallway with a walker. However this laddie still had attitude plus and refused to be sent home in an ambulance, I’m going home in a car I said. Thanks to Amazing Grace, I went home in a car.

Following the hospital stay, I still had to complete a serious course of medication which messed pretty badly with my body and head at times as well. Getting myself back into a routine again and getting that plodding mentality back into focus again took some doing I must say. Heading to the GYM again once I was given the all clear by the nurse, my pot hole experience had left me rather dazed and confused not to mention the major setback.

Could I get back on track again and restore the focus restore the belief that I had the inner strength to make it back again and in spite of the goal posts now being shifted further down the race course to a point far beyond where I could see. Yes the strength was there even though it was only a small flicker now it needed to be refuelled each day.

I decided to start a journey of reading through the book of Psalms found in the Bible. Each day reading a chapter. I believe that good  habits and routines are vital to a good plodding mentality. It takes some doing to start with but once set in place will serve you and those around you very well.

Sowing good stuff to the soul daily and getting the exercise routines back in place have seen me regain the ground that I lost due to the pot hole experience. This hasn’t been without it’s challenges as my body has played up and seen me in in pain and major discomfort at times as the recovery process took place.

Reading has been a good source of comfort to me and a great distraction to look forward to. During this phase I completed Ben Carson’s book “Gifted hands” and I am close on completing a book by Randall Wallace “Braveheart” A story of the Scottish legend,  Sir William Wallace.

One thing I have learnt time and time again. There is no such thing as a giant leap to success, each day making those choices to plod, putting good habits and routines in place will lead to success and a good dollop of His Amazing Grace.

I’m back on the race course and plodding along now, this week has seen a really positive event take place. I performed a natural stand at my Acupunctures clinic and I am so very close to being at the point that I was at around the beginning of April this year.

In my old life I would have had a bit of the Mr Rabbit mentality and started with a dash, full of spring and bounce and even had a she’ll be right mate attitude to life and rested up and allowed myself to cruise to dreamland. Only to be pipped at the post because dreamland doesn’t win the race. Activating faith on a daily basis and each small step is a further advancement down the race course and each portion sown to the soul on a daily basis adds fuel to that faith activated. The faith levels increase and the goals hopes and dreams you have within totally attainable as faith draws on a higher power source, the Master of all and He honours it’s  activation.

So wherever you’re at today don’t limit yourself in anyway. Activate faith and refuel it each day and as you plod thanking the Master for His amazing  grace, expect to see what would seem impossible become possible. Hut it comes with a big label Saved by Grace alone.

Kind regards,

Phil Thorn

"To achieve great things, you not only need to act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe"  

"One should never creep, when one is compelled to soar"